Peer Review Policy
Review Type
AIMR employs a double-blind peer review process for all submitted manuscripts. This means:
- The authors' identities are concealed from reviewers
- The reviewers' identities are concealed from authors
- Only the Editorial Board knows both identities
Process Overview
Stage 1: Initial Screening (1 week)
The Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor conducts a desk review to assess:
- Relevance to AIMR's scope
- Basic quality and academic merit
- Compliance with formatting requirements
- Originality (preliminary plagiarism check)
Manuscripts that do not meet basic criteria are returned to authors at this stage.
Stage 2: Reviewer Assignment
- The Editorial Board selects two independent reviewers for each manuscript
- Reviewers are chosen based on:
- Academic expertise in the manuscript's topic
- Absence of conflicts of interest
- Prior reviewing experience
- International and interdisciplinary diversity
Stage 3: Review Period (14–28 days)
- Reviewers receive the anonymized manuscript
- Each reviewer completes the AIMR-EVAL-F01 evaluation form
- The form includes 10 criteria scored 0-4 and narrative comments
- Reviewers submit their recommendation and justification
Stage 4: Editorial Decision
The Editorial Board considers reviewer reports and makes one of four decisions:
| Decision | Description | Author Action |
|---|---|---|
| Accept | Published as is | None |
| Minor Revision | Small improvements needed | 14 days to revise |
| Major Revision | Significant changes required | 30 days to revise; re-reviewed |
| Reject | Not suitable for AIMR | May appeal within 30 days |
Stage 5: Communication
- Authors receive the decision with anonymized reviewer comments
- For revisions: authors submit a revised manuscript + response letter
- The Editor-in-Chief makes the final publication decision
Timelines
| Stage | Duration |
|---|---|
| Desk review | 1 week |
| Peer review | 2-4 weeks |
| Author revision (minor) | 14 days |
| Author revision (major) | 30 days |
| Total (submission to decision) | 4-8 weeks |
Reviewer Selection Criteria
Reviewers are selected based on:
- Demonstrated expertise in the manuscript's subject area
- No conflict of interest with the authors
- Track record of quality, timely reviews
- Geographic and institutional diversity
- Active researchers with recent publications in the field
Appeals
Authors who disagree with a rejection may submit a written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days, including:
- Detailed response to reviewer comments
- Justification for reconsideration
- Any additional data or analysis
Appeals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and, if warranted, by a new reviewer.
Transparency
AIMR is committed to transparency in its review process:
- This policy is publicly available on our website
- Review criteria and evaluation forms are published
- Authors are informed of expected timelines
- The Reviewer Manual is publicly available
This policy follows COPE Guidelines for peer review.