Procedure for reviewing scientific manuscripts received by the Editorial Board of the scientific journal “Tomsk State University Journal of Biology” (Instructions for Authors) 
tsu-j-biology-procedure-for-reviewing-instructions-for-authors-en.pdf

All manuscripts received by the Editorial Board are peer reviewed

1. The scientific manuscript received by the Editorial Board is checked by the Associate Editor for compliance with the focus of the journal and the main requirements to publications and formatting approved by the editorial committee of the journal (“Manuscript submission guidelines”). It is accomplished within 7-10 days of submission. The Associate Editor sends a notice to Authors to acknowledge the receipt of their manuscripts and their further reviewing via e-mail and/or makes corresponding notes in the Author’s profile on the website of the journal. If formal requirements are not met, the manuscript is not acceptable for publication “for technical reasons” and the Author is notified via e-mail and/or his profile.

2. All manuscripts are to be reviewed. 

3. The Associate Editor sends the Manuscript accepted for reviewing to the Section Editor who invites 3-5 Reviewers from among highly-qualified scientists and experts who have in-depth expertise and work experience in a particular research area.

4. Reviewing is double blind, which means that both the Author and the Reviewer identities are concealed from each other. The Reviewer receives the manuscript without the Author’s signature, name, position and affiliation. The Author receives the review without the Reviewer’s signature, name, position and affiliation.

5. The maximum time frame for peer reviewing is not more than 3 months. The time frame for peer reviewing in each particular case is determined by the Associate Editor basing on the conditions providing the most rapid publication of the manuscript. 

6. If the review contains recommendations to revise or modify the manuscript, the Associate Editor sends the text of the review on to the Author and suggests considering them when preparing a new version of the manuscript or refute them (in part or in whole) with reason.

7. The revised paper should be returned within 30-60 days (depending on the number of recommendations and their complexity). It should be accompanied by a cover letter containing replies to all comments and clarifying all revisions in the manuscript (as a separate file, highlighting all modifications). The finalized manuscript is resent for peer reviewing, an answer to the Reviewer being attached (e.g. “Dear Reviewer…. Thank you for your careful reading of my/our paper…I/we tried to consider all the comments… but at the same time…”). The receipt date will be the date when the revised manuscript is returned.

8. All manuscripts are sent to Reviewers for re-review and approval. 

9. After, at least, 2 positive reviews, the manuscript is re-verified by the Section Editor and approved by the Editor-in-Chief.

10. The Editors reserve the right to reject the manuscript if the author is incapable or reluctant to take into consideration the feedback of the Editorial Board.

11. In case of a negative review of the manuscript from two different Reviewers or one negative review of its revised version, the manuscript is rejected without being considered by other members of the Editorial Board and cannot be published.

The Editorial Board keeps original reviews within ten years of publication of the manuscripts and sends them to the Expert Committees of the State Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation upon request.

13. A positive review is not sufficient grounds for publication. It is the Editorial Board and the Editor-in-Chief that take a final decision whether publication is appropriate, taking into account the relevance of the manuscript, scientometric characteristics of the Author and possible response (citation) to the publication.

14. Once the Editorial Board decides on publishing the manuscript, the Associate Editor informs the Author (via e-mail and/or the Author’s profile on the website) and indicates possible time frame for publication.

15. The Editorial Board does not keep the rejected manuscripts. The accepted manuscripts are not to be returned.

16. The publication order is determined by the registration date of the manuscript submission. Papers covering the most pressing scientific issues and presenting a groundbreaking research may be published out of turn.

The Editorial Board does not engage in meaningful discussions of manuscripts with the Authors, in correspondence on how to write and prepare scientific manuscripts and does not finalize them in order to meet scientific and methodological requirements.