Manuscript review process

General principles

All the manuscripts submitted to Psychologia Rozwojowa are subject to the double blind academic peer review process. The decision concerning starting the review process is made by the Editorial Board, provided that the manuscript meets formal requirements of the journal. The list of reviewers who collaborate with the Editors is published annually in the last issue of the journal and on the journal website. The reviewers’ reports provide the basis for the acceptance of the manuscript.

Appointing Reviewers

Each manuscript is reviewed by two independent reviewers, appointed by the Editorial Board. The appointment criteria are as follows: 1. the reviewer is an expert in the field, 2. there is no conflict of interest between the reviewer and the author. Consequently, an appointed reviewer should not:

• remain in direct relationship with the author of the manuscript
• have the same affiliation as the author
• systematically collaborate with the author.

Manuscripts written in a foreign language are reviewed by both Polish and foreign reviewers (at least one reviewer is affiliated with a foreign institution).  

Review report

The review report is a written document based on a standard form, which ends with a final evaluation ranging on a scale from 1 (accept - no revision recommended) to 4 (reject). Additionally, the reviewers are asked to offer comments to illustrate their points and, if recommending a revision, to help the author to decide on how a revision could be done.

Accepting and rejecting the manuscript

The review reports of the manuscript are sent to the author who is asked to take a stance on the recommendations and remarks. It is up to the author to decide if he wishes to review the manuscript following the reviewers’ recommendations.

The manuscript with positive evaluation (at least 3 on the scale) can be accepted for publication provided the necessary changes (as pointed out in the review reports) are introduced by the author. A member of the Editorial Board (the Editor of the issue) ensures compliance of the author’s revision with the reviewer’s recommendations. He can also ask the author to introduce additional modifications. When the key recommendations offered by the reviewers are not taken into account and the author does not provide any reasons for neglecting them, the Editorial Board can reject the manuscript for publication.

The manuscripts with at least one negative evaluation  (4 on the scale) are not accepted for publication. It the manuscript obtains two extremely different reviews, the third reviewer is appointed. If the manuscript is rejected, the author can modify the text according to the reviewers’ suggestions and submit it for publication. However, such a modified manuscript  requires a new review cycle.

See also: Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice