Peer Review Process

· The article is accepted by the Editors and assigned to the Handling Editor.

· The review procedure for manuscripts submitted to JCME is conducted in two stages: an internal review, during which the Handling Editor decides whether the manuscript qualifies for further consideration in the publication process, followed by an external review conducted by designated reviewers.

· The review process follows a single-blind peer review procedure, and the identities of the Reviewers are not publicly disclosed.

· As a specialist in the relevant field, the Reviewer maintains full independence of judgment and confirms the absence of any conflict of interest or personal or professional relationship with the Author(s) by submitting the appropriate declarations.

· At least two independent Reviewers are appointed, including one Reviewer from outside the country represented by the Author(s) and another from outside the institution represented by the Author(s).

· The Reviewer is notified by email of the invitation to review the manuscript. The title and abstract of the article are provided as an attachment.

· The Reviewer logs in to the JCME platform.

· The Reviewer is required to respond to the review invitation within 7 days of receiving it. The Reviewer should not accept the invitation if there is any potential conflict of interest or any personal and/or professional relationship with the Author(s).

· Once the Reviewer agrees to conduct the review, they receive the full manuscript together with the Author(s)’ details and conduct the review online by completing a review form consisting of two parts: a qualitative assessment and a quantitative assessment.

· The review must be completed in the system and concluded with one of the following recommendations:

ü  Accept Submission – the manuscript can be published without any changes.

ü  Revision Required – the manuscript requires minor revisions, but no further or additional peer review is required.

ü  Resubmit for Review – the manuscript requires substantial revisions. The revised version of the article must be resubmitted to the Reviewer for further evaluation.

ü  Resubmit Elsewhere – (to be completed)

ü  Decline Submission – the manuscript does not meet the standards required for scholarly publication and cannot be accepted.

ü  See Comments – the comments provided by the Reviewer should be taken into consideration.

· Reviewers are given a specified period of time by the Editorial Office to complete their reviews.

· Reviewers are required to follow the COPE guidelines for peer reviewers, which include, among other things, having appropriate subject-matter expertise, informing the Editorial Office of any potential conflict of interest, maintaining objectivity when evaluating manuscripts, and submitting reviews within the specified timeframe.

· The Reviewer and the Editorial Office are required to follow COPE guidelines in cases where there is suspicion that an author has fabricated data or failed to disclose a conflict of interest.

· In cases where there is a suspicion that a Reviewer has appropriated an Author’s idea or data, the Editorial Office undertakes to follow the general COPE procedure, including: collecting relevant documentation and evidence, assessing the validity of the concerns, contacting the Reviewer to clarify the situation, investigating the relationship between the Author and the Reviewer (and, where appropriate, any other individuals invited to review the manuscript), removing the Reviewer from the Publisher’s and journal’s reviewer databases, and notifying the relevant institutions where justified.

· Decisions made during the peer review process are treated as confidential.

· Authors are required to respond to the Reviewers’ comments and submit the revised manuscript to JCME online within the timeframe specified by the Editorial Office.

· If an article requires substantial revisions, the revised manuscript is subject to further peer review.

· Articles are checked for English language quality by a native English speaker.

· Provided that the manuscript receives at least two positive reviews based on the assessments submitted through the online review forms, it qualifies for the subsequent stages of the publication process.

· In disputed or unclear cases, the Editorial Office reserves the right to appoint additional Reviewers.

· Each year, the Editorial Office publishes on the JCME website a list of Reviewers who have contributed to the journal during the given year.