GUIDELINES FOR REVIEWERS

GovSci implements double-blind review (author and reviewer information are kept confidential from each other) for submitted articles except for editorials. We understand that review serves as an important step in the overall publication process, therefore, we greatly appreciate the role that reviewers perform voluntarily.  

Reviews can be submitted through our online form or using the form we provide here.

Overview

All articles submitted to GovSci, except editorials, are reviewed by two experts. Reviewers are required to provide a recommendation on whether the manuscript is accepted, revised, or rejected. We perform plagiarism screening for each article, however, reviewers are expected to notify the editors if they suspect any issues of misconduct by the authors.

Reviewers invited by the editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest they may have with respect to the manuscript or authors. All possible personal, professional, or financial conflicts of interest should be considered.

Detailed Review

Reviewers are asked to provide detailed and constructive comments that will help the editors make decisions about publication and the authors to improve their manuscript. They should indicate whether the work has serious flaws that preclude its publication, or whether additional experiments should be performed or additional data should be collected to support the conclusions drawn.

When preparing the report, we ask the reviewers to consider the following:

1. Originality and significance of the work presented.

Reviewers are asked to comment on the originality of the manuscript and its significance to the scientific community. If the reviewed manuscript presents unoriginal ideas or similar work has been published previously, the reviewer should provide references.

2. Experimental or theoretical approach to the problem addressed

Reviewers are asked to discuss the novelty of the theoretical approach and experimental methods presented in the manuscript.

3. Strengths and weaknesses of the methods used

Reviewers should assess the suitability of the methods used. If necessary, technical aspects of the manuscript, such as statistical analysis, should be commented on. Reviewers should make suggestions for improvements that will result in an increase in the quality of the manuscript.

4. Reliability of results and validity of conclusions

Reviewers are asked to comment on the reliability of the results and consider whether the conclusions drawn are supported by the data collected.

5. Organization of the manuscript

Reviewers should comment on whether the manuscript is easy to read and the arguments are explained in a logical and understandable way. They should suggest improvements, if necessary.

6. Discussion of the literature most relevant to the topic

Reviewers should comment on the relevance of the literature cited in the manuscript. They should provide references for any important research not mentioned in the manuscript.

7. Revision

When revisions of the manuscript are suggested, reviewers are asked to recommend which aspects of the work should be improved: better motivation for the research, additional data to confirm the conclusions, better organization of the paper or manuscript.

Please note that, if necessary, accepted manuscripts will go through a language editing process by a native English speaker. Incorrect grammar, style or punctuation should not be a sufficient reason to reject a manuscript if it is still understandable to the reviewers and the content is worthy of publication from a scientific point of view.

Confidentiality

Please do not distribute copies of the manuscript or use the results contained therein. However, please feel free to show it to discuss it with knowledgeable colleagues and consult with them about the review. We would appreciate it if you could suggest alternative reviewers that are suitable for the topic covered.

Technical

Please return your report within the specified deadline or notify the Editor as soon as possible if you are unable to do so. You can submit your review through the existing online submission system in OJS.