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Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Manuscript Assignment.
2. Initial Evaluation.
3. Finding & Assigning Reviewers.
4. Decisions.
5. Letters to the Editor.
6. Appeals.

   

Assignment Process

1. Authors submit manuscripts through the journal submission site.
2. The manuscript goes through a quality check by Spectrum staff for completeness & usability of the submission files.
3. Each manuscript is first assigned to the editor in chief or a senior editor based on the author’s selection during submission.
4. Most submissions to Spectrum are matched to an editor via our smart-assignment system.
   1. At submission, authors suggest potential editors.
   2. The system sends invitations to editors on this list.
   3. Editors with 5+ active assignments won’t receive additional auto-assignments (Note: this does not include articles that are being revised by the author).
5. Editors may also be contacted by a senior editor directly to handle a paper.
6. Editors should also check requests on Slack.
7. For revisions, please note that these are automatically assigned back to the previous editor.

 

Accepting/Declining Invitations

Please aim to respond to invitations within 2 business days. We do not expect you to accept every invitation that you receive. We leave it to your discretion to accept or decline.

Accept if:

• You have time to handle the submission.
• The submission is within your expertise (or if you feel comfortable enough finding reviewers with expertise that can complement your own).

Decline if:

• You are already busy with your current assignments, have commitments outside of the journal, or plan on going on vacation in the next week.
• You have a real or perceived conflict of interest, in particular when:
  • The author is at your research organization or university.
  • The author is a recent (less than 5 years) close collaborator or trainee.
  • The author is a family member or a close personal friend.
  • You, your immediate family, or a close professional associate has a financial or vested interest in the result.
  • You previously handled or reviewed the manuscript at another journal.

 

Getting Invitations

1. Is your eJP profile accurate? Update your research area, subject area and keywords in your eJP profile by clicking on the “Modify Profile/Password” link in the General Tasks section of your homepage.
2. Will you be out of the office or busy? Update your “unavailable” dates in eJP by clicking on the “Modify Unavailable Dates” link in the General Tasks section of your homepage. In the next screen, click on the dates that you will be out, and click the "Submit dates" button. This will prevent you from receiving invitations while you are out.

3. Do you need to be placed in a different section on the Board of Editors page? Contact journal staff.

4. Do your research interests need to be updated on the Board of Editors page? Contact journal staff.