AFTE Peer Review Process – January 2020
The AFTE Peer Review Process is double blind in nature and begins with the submission of a manuscript to the Editor. Any identifying information will be removed from the manuscript prior to being sent to a reviewer, to ensure anonymity throughout the double-blind peer review process. At no point during the review process is the identity of the author known to the reviewer or the identity of the reviewer known to the author.
Primary Review Process
- The manuscript is first assigned to a member of the Editorial Review Panel, who reviews the manuscript for grammatical and technical correctness.
- If revisions are required, the reviewer will notify the Journal Editor who will contact the author. Minor revisions may not require contacting the author. If an issue cannot be resolved with the initial reviewer, alternate members of the Editorial Review Panel may be contacted for suggestions on how to proceed. If the issue still cannot be resolved, the Editor will reject the submission, informing the author of this action via email. If the author opts to revise and resubmit the manuscript, it will be considered a new submission and will be subject to the same process as described above. In most cases, the author will be supplied with a copy of the Editorial Panel’s critiques.
- During the primary review process, the article may be forwarded to a subject matter expert outside of the Editorial Review Panel.
- Upon approval by the primary reviewer, the manuscript will be forwarded for secondary review.
Secondary Review Process
- Once a manuscript has passed the primary review process, it is returned to the Editor and subsequently assigned to one of the Assistant Editors for a secondary review of grammar and technical content.
- Upon secondary review by an Assistant Editor, if a major issue is identified that had been overlooked by the initial reviewer, the initial reviewer may be notified by the Editor. The author will then be contacted by the Editor in an attempt to resolve the issue. If the issue cannot be resolved, the secondary Assistant Editor will inform the Editor, and other members of the Editorial Review Panel may be contacted for suggestions on how to proceed. If no suitable solution is reached, the Editor will reject the submission, informing the author of this action via email. If the author opts to revise and resubmit the manuscript, it will be considered a new submission and will be subject to the same process as described above. In most cases, the author will be supplied with a copy of the Editorial Panel’s critiques. If the issue is resolved, the article is forwarded to the Formatting Team.
- Upon approval by the Assistant Editor, the article is sent for formatting and publication.
Formatting and Publication
- Once the article has been electronically formatted, it will be sent to the author(s) for final review. The article is then added to a draft copy of the Journal, consisting of other approved articles. The assembled Journal will undergo a final review by all Assistant Editors and the Editor. After final edits/corrections are made by the Editors and/or Formatting Team, the Journal is then sent to the printer.
In some cases, regardless of the level of review, the technical content of a manuscript may require too much revision and may be rejected. In these cases, there will be no attempt to resolve the issue(s) with the author. The article will be rejected and the author will be notified via email. If the author opts to revise and resubmit the article it will be considered a new submission and will be subject to the same process as described above. In most cases, the author will be supplied with a copy of the Editorial Panel’s critiques.