After sending the manuscripts through the platform, the authors will be automatically notified by email that their files have been successfully received.

1 Initial assessment

The manuscript will first be reviewed by the Editorial Board, assisted by the Advisory Board. Editors determine if the works submitted fall within the remit of the journal, they do not contain plagiarism and ensure compliance with scientific quality standards and, above all, with the guidelines for authors available on the website, which all works must meet. If the initial assessment outcome is negative, the authors may be required to make all necessary changes within two weeks. Please note that manuscripts may also be rejected; in that case, the grounds for rejection will be duly explained to the authors by email. If the authors do not receive a notification from the Editorial Board within two weeks, it will mean that the initial assessment outcome has been positive.

2 Peer review

Next, the articles will be double-blind peer-reviewed by two external evaluators, chosen by the Editorial Board from among experts in the relevant fields of study. The evaluators will be required to review the manuscript within three-four months and draft a report by completing a form (PDF) available on the website. If they disagree on their assessment, a third evaluator will be sent the manuscript, which will be anonymous throughout the whole process. A list of evaluators involved in the editorial process will be published yearly.

After receiving the assessment reports, the general editors will inform the author that one of the following statuses has been assigned to the manuscript:

• Accepted.
• Accepted with modifications. The manuscript will be published only if the authors introduce the changes proposed by the evaluators within two weeks.
• New assessment required. The manuscript is not yet suitable for publication, but the Editorial Board will allow the authors to rewrite it and make any proposed changes in approach within four weeks. Upon receipt of the revised article, the Editorial Board will decide whether the new version can be published or should be assessed again by external evaluators.
• Not accepted.

Book reviews will not be peer-reviewed by external evaluators. The journal’s editors, assisted by the Advisory Board, will decide whether the book review is accepted or not and inform the author of all changes needed, if any.

The decision is made within the next four months after receipt of the manuscript.

3 Review of the proof of the accepted article

After the assessment process a proof of the article will be sent to the author, who may propose non-content-related changes within seven days. Once the final version is ready, the article (and/or book review) will be available on the journal’s website.

4 Acting as a reviewer

Those wishing to act as referees for this or other journals available on the University of Alicante portal can request it from their user account (Edit Profile - Roles). If they do not have an account, they must create one . They may also send an email to the journal’s contact person to request a certificate stating that they have collaborated with the journal as referees.

Referees must comply with the publications ethics policy, in place and preserve the confidentiality of the manuscript and the peer review. They are not entitled to monetary compensation.