All manuscripts submitted to Engineering Spectrum are initially evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief (or a designated editor) to ensure that they comply with the journal’s scope, ethical policies, and author guidelines.
Manuscripts may be rejected before peer review if they:
Do not comply with the journal’s ethical standards,
Fall outside the scope of Engineering Spectrum,
Contain insufficient scientific content,
Are poorly presented or unclear, or
Are incorrectly formatted or do not meet the submission requirements.
Manuscripts that are not properly prepared may be returned to the authors for correction and resubmission without scientific assessment. Submissions must represent the original and independent work of the authors.
Each new submission is assessed by the Principal Editor/Editor-in-Chief to determine whether it falls within the general remit of Engineering Spectrum. Manuscripts that pass this initial screening are assigned to the Editor-in-Chief or a Subject Editor, who will oversee the peer review process and evaluate the work in terms of contribution, originality, relevance, and presentation.
Submissions must be prepared in full accordance with the Author Guidelines. Manuscripts that are not in the correct format or cannot be downloaded reliably may be returned to the authors without further assessment.
Once a manuscript is deemed suitable following the initial checks, it is sent for single-blind peer review to at least two independent experts:
The reviewers know the identity of the authors, but the authors do not know the identity of the reviewers.
Subject Editors, members of the Editorial Board, and Guest Editors with relevant expertise may act as reviewers.
Reviewers suggested by the authors may be considered at the editors’ discretion.
To prevent conflicts of interest, reviewers:
Must not have co-authored any publications with any of the manuscript’s authors within the last three years, and
Must not work at, or closely collaborate with, any institution affiliated with the authors of the submitted article.
Peer review reports are confidential and will only be disclosed with the explicit consent of the reviewer.
Authors can normally expect a decision, or an explanation for any delay, within two months of the manuscript’s receipt. If a revision is requested, the corresponding author is required to submit the revised manuscript within four weeks. Referees may choose to re-review the revised manuscript or may indicate that no further review is necessary (typically in the case of minor revisions).
The editor will decide whether the revised manuscript needs to be sent back to the reviewers by examining the authors’ responses and corrections. In the case of major revisions, the corrected version must be sent again to the relevant referee(s). The final decision on all manuscripts rests with the Editor-in-Chief or the designated Subject Editor, based on the information gathered during the peer review process.
All manuscripts under review are treated as confidential prior to publication, in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics.
During the peer review process, one of the following editorial decisions will be issued:
Reject
Following peer review, the manuscript is deemed unsuitable for publication in Engineering Spectrum and will not be considered for resubmission in its current form.
Major Revision
The manuscript does not meet the required standards and requires substantial revision. However, the work shows clear potential, and Engineering Spectrum is willing to consider a thoroughly revised version.
Authors are invited to submit a revised manuscript as a new proposal addressing all major concerns.
Until the editors are satisfied that the manuscript aligns with the scope and standards of Engineering Spectrum, doubts about its suitability for publication will remain.
Where possible, the resubmitted manuscript will be handled by the original associate or subject editor and may be sent again to the original reviewers.
Minor Revision
The manuscript is generally suitable but requires amendments before a final decision can be made.
Authors must revise their manuscript in line with the referees’ and editors’ comments and submit the revised version within two weeks of receiving the decision letter.
A point-by-point response explaining how each comment has been addressed must accompany the revised manuscript.
Revisions may undergo further peer review and, in some cases, more than one round of revision may be required.
If the authors do not revise their manuscript to the satisfaction of the editors, the paper may still be declined for publication in Engineering Spectrum.
Accept
The manuscript has been accepted for publication, subject to minor changes needed to produce the final version.
These changes may include language editing, formatting adjustments, or minor amendments to ensure full compliance with the journal’s criteria.
Once the editorial office has completed its final checks, formal acceptance will be confirmed and the manuscript will be forwarded to the publisher for production.
Page proofs of accepted manuscripts will be sent to the corresponding author for final checking.
Corrections to proofs must be strictly limited to printer’s errors. Substantive changes to the text, equations, or structure at the proof stage may not be allowed or may incur additional charges.
Authors are kindly requested to return the corrected proofs within three days of receipt to avoid delays or the possibility of the article being postponed to a later issue.
The editors do not accept responsibility for the correctness of the final published content. It is the author’s responsibility to carefully check all content at the proof stage.