Peer Review Policies

Peer-Review

All manuscripts submitted to Microbial Bioactives undergo single blind peer review. An outline of this process is available on the peer-review schematic. The assigend section Editor and Main Handling Editor or Editor-in-chief will make the final decision based on the assigned reviewers comments. Authors may lodge an appeal against an editorial decision. They should send grounds for their appeal to office@emanresearch.org. The appeal will be heard by the Editor-in-Chief in conjunction with one or more Editorial Board members or Associate Editors. The Editor-in-Chief's decision on the appeal will be final.

Portability of peer review
Microbial Bioactives supports thorough and efficient peer review and has put in place streamlined processes to allow for rapid peer review and avoid unnecessary re-review of revised manuscripts. In cases where a manuscript reporting sound science does not reach the interest level set for a given Microbial Bioactives journal and is rejected, the authors may be offered the option to transfer their manuscript to another Microbial Bioactives provided it is in scope of that journal. In such cases, the peer reviewers’ reports are also transferred to the other journal.

Before the authors are contacted regarding a possible manuscript transfer, the Editor-in-Chief may share the manuscript with the Editors-in-Chief of other Microbial Bioactives. Authors, who do not wish their manuscript to be shared with other Microbial Bioactives should mention this in their cover letter. Peer reviewers, who do not wish to have their report shared with other Microbial Bioactives should mention this in the confidential comments to the Editor-in-Chief section of their report.

Should authors agree to have their manuscript transferred to another Microbial Bioactives for evaluation it does not imply that their manuscript will be accepted for publication by the other journal. In some occasions the Editor-in-Chief of the receiving journal may decide to conduct their own peer review and/or reject the manuscript.

Peer Review Process Outline

1. Manuscript Submission

   • Author submits the manuscript to the journal.
   • Editorial Office conducts an initial check for completeness and compliance with submission guidelines.

2. Initial Assessment

   • Editor-in-Chief (EIC) or Main Handling Editor performs an initial assessment (1 week).
   • The manuscript is evaluated for scope, originality, and relevance.
   • Decision Point:
     • Reject if the manuscript does not meet basic criteria.
     • Proceed to Peer Review if the manuscript is deemed suitable.

3. Reviewer Selection

   • Editor selects reviewers based on their expertise and availability.
   • Typically, 2-4 reviewers are invited.
   • Reviewers accept or decline the invitation.

4. Review Process

   • Reviewers conduct a thorough evaluation of the manuscript (2 weeks).
   • Each reviewer submits a detailed review report, including:
     • Assessment of originality, significance, methodology, and clarity.
     • Suggestions for improvement.
     • Recommendation (Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, Reject).

5. Editorial Decision

   • Editor, i.e. Section Editor and Main Handling Editor evaluate the reviewers' comments and recommendations (4 weeks).
   • Decision Point:
     • Accept the manuscript as is.
     • Minor Revision required before acceptance.
     • Major Revision needed, requiring another round of review.
     • Reject the manuscript.

6. Author Revision

   • Authors receive feedback and are requested to revise the manuscript (2 weeks).
   • Revised Manuscript is submitted back to the journal.

7. Re-Review (if necessary)

   • Editor may send the revised manuscript back to the original reviewers (2 weeks).
   • Reviewers assess the revisions and provide additional feedback.

8. Final Decision

   • Main Handling Editor and Editor-in-Chief make the final decision based on the reviewers’ feedback on the revised manuscript (6 weeks).
   • Decision Point:
     • Accept the manuscript.
     • Reject the manuscript if revisions are inadequate.

9. Copyediting and Proofreading

   • Accepted Manuscript undergoes copyediting and proofreading.
   • Authors review and approve the final proofs.

10. Publication

    • Final Manuscript is published in the journal.
    • Authors and readers are notified of the publication.

Schematic Representation

     Submission

→ Initial Assessment (1 week)

→ Reviewer Selection

→ Review Process (2 weeks)

→ Editorial Decision (4 weeks)

→ Author Revision (2 weeks)

→ Re-Review (2 weeks if any)

→ Final Decision (6 weeks)

→ Copyediting

→ Publication (8 weeks)