Double-blind Peer Review System: Meaning that the authors and Reviewers are blinded to the identity of each other. Although there are exceptions, the reviewers are also blinded to each other. All submitted articles are subjected to an extensive peer review in consultation with members of the journal’s editorial board and independent external reviewers (usually three reviewers). All reviewers and editors are asked to report any potential conflicts of interest and when those exist, the manuscript is reassigned to a different editor or reviewer.

COPE’s Guideline: Mesford Publishers adheres to COPE’s Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. Reviewers are therefore required to respect the confidentiality of the peer review process and not reveal any details of a manuscript or its review during or after the peer-review process, beyond the information released by the journal. If reviewers wish to involve a colleague in the review process, they should first obtain permission from the journal. The Editor should be informed of the names of any individuals who assisted in the review process when the report is returned.

Timely Review: We believe that an efficient editorial process is a valuable service both to our authors and to the scientific community as a whole. We therefore ask reviewers to respond promptly within the number of days agreed. If reviewers anticipate a longer delay than previously expected, we ask them to let us know so that we can keep the authors informed and where necessary, find alternatives.

All manuscripts are assessed rapidly and the decision based on all the peer reviewers’ comments, taken by the journal’s Editor-in-Chief is then conveyed to the author(s). Contributions from Editor-in-Chief are referred to another editor for Suggestions and Review.