The practice of peer review is to ensure the quality of published material. It is an objective process at the heart of good scholarly publishing and is the basis of all reputable scientific journals. Our referees, therefore, play a vital role in maintaining the high standards of the Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine. All unsolicited manuscripts are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below.
NOTE: Special issues and/or conference proceedings may have different peer review procedures involving, for example, Guest Editors, conference organizers or scientific committees. Authors contributing to these projects may receive full details of the peer review process on request from the editorial office.
Initial manuscript evaluation
The Editors first evaluates all manuscripts. It is rare, but it is entirely feasible for an exceptional manuscript to be accepted at this stage. Those rejected at this stage have serious scientific flaws, or are outside the aims and scope of the journal. Those that meet the minimum criteria are passed on to at least 2 experts for review.
Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will be informed within 2 weeks of receipt or with recommended reviewer suggestions for resubmission.
Type of Peer Review
This journal employs double blind reviewing, where both the referee and author remain anonymous throughout the process.
How the referee is selected
Referees are matched to the paper according to their expertise. It is expected of the Editorial Board to review several papers annually; however, we welcome suggestions for referees from the Editorial Board and Author, though these recommendations may or may not be used.
Referee reports
Referees are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript:
Is original
Is methodologically sound
Follows appropriate ethical guidelines
Has results which are clearly presented and support the conclusions
Correctly references previous relevant work
Referees are not expected to correct or copyedit manuscripts. Language correction is not part of the peer review process.
How long does the review process take?
Typically the manuscript will be reviewed within 3 to 4 weeks. Should the referees' reports contradict one another or a report is unnecessarily delayed, a further expert opinion will be sought. All our referees sign a conflict of interest statement. Referees may request more than one revision of a manuscript.
Final report
A final decision to accept or reject the manuscript will be sent to the author along with any recommendations made by the referees, and may include verbatim comments by the referees.
Appeal process
If an author wishes to appeal an outcome of peer review, they should contact the Editors-in-Chief in writing and detail his/her concern. Appeals will only be successful if reviews were inadequate or unjust. Should this be the case, the paper will be sent to alternate reviewers agree to re-review the paper.
Editor's Decision is final
Referees advise the Editors-in-Chief, who are responsible for the final decision to accept or reject the article.
Becoming a Referee for the Journal
If you are not currently a referee for the Journal, but would like to be added to the list of referees for this title, please contact the editorial office. The benefits of refereeing for the Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine include the opportunity to see and evaluate the latest work in your research area at an early stage, and to be acknowledged in an annual statement in the Journal.
