Structural Change and Economic Dynamics17 (2006) 124–125

Peer review policy on Structural Changeand Economic Dynamics

The practice of peer review is to ensure that high quality scientific material is published. Itis an objective process at the heart of competitive academic publishing and is carried out onall reputable scientific journals. Our referees, therefore, play a vital role in maintaining the highstandards ofStructural Change and Economic Dynamics and all manuscripts for ‘normal articles’are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below.

Special issues and/or conference proceedings may have different peer review proceduresinvolving, for example, Guest Editors, conference organisers or scientific committees. Authorscontributing to these projects may receive details of the peer review process on request from theeditorial office.

Initial manuscript evaluationThe Editors first evaluate all manuscripts. Although rare, it is entirely feasible for an exceptional

manuscript to be accepted at this early stage. Reasons for the rejection of manuscripts at thisinitial point can include the material being insufficiently original, having serious scientific flaws,grammatical errors or written in poor English, or falling outside the aims and scope of the journal.Those that meet the minimum criteria are passed on to at least two experts for review.

Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will be informed within 3 weeks of receipt.

Type of peer reviewThis journal employs single blind review, where the referee remains anonymous throughout

the process.

How the referee is selectedReferees are matched to the paper according to their expertise. Our database is constantly being

updated and we welcome suggestions for referees from authors though these recommendationsmay or may not be used.

Referee reportsReferees are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript:

- Is original- Is methodologically sound

0954-349X/$ – see front matterdoi:10.1016/j.strueco.2005.11.001

Peer review policy / Structural Change and Economic Dynamics 17 (2006) 124–125 125

- Has results which are clearly presented and support the conclusions- Correctly references previous relevant work

Referees are not expected to correct or edit manuscripts. Language correction is not part of thepeer review process.

How long does the review process take?Typically a manuscript will be reviewed within 6 months. Should the referees’ reports contradict

one another or a report is unnecessarily delayed, a further expert opinion may be sought, or aneditor may evaluate the manuscript (as a referee). Revised manuscripts are usually returned to theinitial referees. Referees may request more than one revision of a manuscript.

Final reportA final decision to accept or reject the manuscript will be sent to the corresponding author

along with any recommendations made by the referees, and may include verbatim commentsmade by the referees.

Editor’s decision is finalReferees advise the editor, who is responsible for the final decision to accept or reject the

article.