marriage, families & spirituality

GUIDELINES FOR PEER REVIEWERS

Objectives of Peer Reviewing

 

The objective of the peer review is to evaluate and rate the quality of manuscripts submitted to Marriage, Families & Spirituality (MFS). Peer reviewers assess the significance, originality, and scholarship of the manuscript, as well as its appropriateness for publication in MFS. By ensuring high standards in the acceptance of articles, MFS aimes at maintaining its role as a leading journal for theological research on marriage.

  

The Peer Review Process

 

All major articles are peer reviewed. Upon receipt of a manuscript, the editors who will first do an internal review to determine whether the manuscript is appropriate for our journal. The editor will then forward the manuscript to two peer reviewers. The reviewers are not informed of the name of the author, and vice versa. The reviewers have a maximum of four weeks to return their comments.

 

Depending on the recommendation of the reviewers and on the deliberation of the editors, the author will be informed whether the manuscript is accepted as it stands or is rejected. If the manuscript is accepted subject to revisions, the editor sends the annotated manuscript back to the author, who must then integrate the reviewers' comments, and return a revised version of his manuscript to the editor.

  

Qualification of Peer Reviewers

 

Peer reviewers are international experts in their fields, whether in their academic profession or in equivalent publishing, teaching, and/or professional activities. See also Guidelines for Authors.

 

Responsibilities of the Peer Reviewers

 

  • to provide written feedback on the scholarship of the article, in a way that is constructive and beneficial for the author.
  • to inform the editors about the suitability of the article for inclusion in MFS.  Reviewers are asked to give a brief written report advising whether the article should be:

- accepted as it stands,

- accepted, subject to minor revisions,

- accepted, subject to major revisions, or

- rejected.

 

Criteria for Reviewing

 

The main criterion for publication depends less on the subject angle of the study and more on the quality of submission: is it logical, well-written and well-argued? Will it enhance the readers' understanding of marriage?

 

Reviewers should take the following questions into account when reviewing articles for MFS:

  • Does the title reflect the content appropriately?
  • Are the objectives clearly stated?
  • Is the argument expressed clearly, strongly, and convincingly?
  • Is the article well structured?
  • Are there any irrelevant sections?
  • Is the field adequately covered? Are there any relevant areas that should have been included?
  • Is the article well-supported with bibliographic and other authoritative sources?
  • Is the information, or the interpretation of the information, new?
  • Is the information factually correct?
  • Are the conclusions supported by the discussion?
  • Does the article contribute significantly to knowledge and/or understanding of marriage as discussed in MFS?