Peer review process

1

  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. Manuscripts that fall outside the defined scope and standard of the journal may be rejected during this initial assessment, with prompt notification sent to the author. This process typically takes approximately 3-7 days.

2

  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

  AHSTR employs a rigorous single-blind peer review model, wherein the reviewers remain anonymous to the authors throughout the evaluation. Each manuscript is assigned to at least three independent and external reviewers with specialized expertise to assess the submission. The Associate Editor synthesizes these independent evaluations to formulate a comprehensive recommendation. Authors are then provided with a formal decision and the opportunity to address the reviewers’ comments through one or more rounds of revision. On average, this critical review stage is completed within 1.5–2 months, ensuring a timely yet thorough vetting process.

4

  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. Based on the evaluation, the Editor-in-Chief will render one of three decisions: acceptance, rejection, or a request for additional revisions. In the event of a rejection or revision request, corresponding authors will be notified.

 

5

  Upon acceptance, the manuscript enters the production phase, where it undergoes rigorous professional copyediting to ensure it meets linguistic standards for format, grammar, style, and flow. Authors will then receive a gallery proof for final verification of minor typographical or formatting details. At this stage, major alterations to the content, structure, or core conclusions are strictly prohibited. This entire process typically takes 10–15 days from acceptance to final publication.

6

  Following the author’s formal approval of the final gallery proof, the editorial management team conducts a comprehensive verification of all metadata. Upon successful verification, a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is registered and assigned to the manuscript. The article is then systematically formatted and scheduled for official inclusion within a designated volume and issue of the journal. The manuscript is officially released on the journal's platform as the final version of record. All articles are published under an Open Access model using the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.