Peer Review Process

Articles published in SEI undergo peer review following the COPE guidelines (https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines-new/cope-ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers) for reviewers.

The SEI journal operates with a double-blind peer review process. As such comments from a minimum of two independent experts are required to ensure complete assessment of the article.

The details of the comments as well as the overall recommendations by peer reviewers will be considered by the Editor when making a decision, but ultimate responsibility for acceptance or rejection lies with the Editor.

In accordance with COPE recommendations on ethical editing for new Editors (https://publicationethics.org/node/19871), the Editor will assign any submissions they cannot handle (e.g. if they are the author of an article submitted to their own journal) to a member of the Editorial Board or a guest editor.

SEI does not permit you to recommend peer reviewers. If you wish to suggest potential reviewers this information can be included in the covering letter, but it is at the discretion of the Editor to consider these reviewers or not. Providing any false information about potential reviewers may lead to rejection of the article.

Articles are generally able to be reviewed within three months after submission.

Manuscripts will be returned to the lead authors when the peer review process is completed.

Confidentiality of peer review

It is a requirement to maintain confidentiality and integrity of the peer review and editorial decision-making process at all stages, complying with data protection regulations (including GDPR - https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/eu-data-protection-rules_en). The invited reviewer should declare any competing interest before submitting their report to the journal. If they wish to involve a colleague as a co-reviewer for an article, they should ask the journal editorial office before sharing the manuscript and include their names, affiliation and any relevant competing interests in the comments for Editors when they return their report.

In the process of investigating an ethical query, the submitted manuscript, author, reviewer, and any other person (including whistleblowers) involved will be treated in confidence. During an investigation it may be necessary for the Editor to share information with third parties, such as the ethics committee and/or the authors’ institution.