Peer review process
The peer review process is as follows:
Phase 1: Peer Review – the manuscript undergoes rigorous evaluation by editors and independent reviewers.
1
Initial Screening:
Submissions are checked for adherence to the journal's formatting, language, and style requirements. Manuscripts are also screened using plagiarism detection software. Following these technical checks, the editor-in-Chief and the Associate Editor review the work to ensure it fits the journal's scope and meets all ethical standards. If the manuscript does not fit within the journal's scope, it may be rejected at this stage. This process typically takes approximately 3-7 days.
2
Assigning reviewers:
The Associate Editor assigns the manuscript to a specialist Section Editor. Together, they recruit at least three independent reviewers with relevant expertise. To ensure impartiality, all reviewers must be from different institutions from the authors and from each other. This selection process typically takes 10–15 days.
3
Review & Revise Process:
The reviewers are invited to assess the manuscript, providing feedback on its scientific value, originality, clarity, and overall quality. The Associate Editor collects and analyzes the reviewers' evaluations, considering their comments and recommendations. The author will have an opportunity to revise their manuscript. This review stage can take approximately 1.5 - 2 months.
4
Decision Making:
Based on the reviewers' assessments and the evaluation of the Associate Editor and Section Editor, a summary of the key considerations raised in the reviewers' comments, along with the revised manuscript, will be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief for a decision. The Editor-in-Chief will determine whether to accept the manuscript, reject it, or request additional revisions.
Phase 2: Publication – the accepted manuscripts are prepared, finalized, and officially published.
5
Copyediting and Author Proofreading:
Upon acceptance, authors must provide evidence of professional English editing, such as a certificate or receipt. The journal then conducts internal copyediting to ensure grammatical accuracy, stylistic consistency, and clarity. Finally, authors review and approve a proof copy for any minor corrections. This stage typically takes 10–15 days from acceptance to finalization.
6
Metadata Verification and Publication:
Once authors have approved the final proof, the management team verifies the metadata and assigns a DOI. The manuscript is then prepared for official publication within a specific issue of the journal.
Additional Considerations:
Single-Blind Review:
To ensure objectivity, a single-blind review process is employed, where the authors do not know reviewers’ identities.
To ensure objectivity, a single-blind review process is employed, where the authors do not know reviewers’ identities.
Ethical Considerations:
The AHSTR maintains strict ethical guidelines to prevent plagiarism, conflict of interest, and other misconduct.
The AHSTR maintains strict ethical guidelines to prevent plagiarism, conflict of interest, and other misconduct.
Open Access:
The AHSTR adopt an open access model, making the published articles freely available to the public.
The AHSTR adopt an open access model, making the published articles freely available to the public.
By following a rigorous peer review process, the AHSTR strive to maintain high standards of quality
and ensure thedissemination of reliable and valuable research.
