Instructions for Reviewers

Reviewers expertise and insights contribute significantly to the quality and integrity of our publication. Please adhere to the following guidelines when conducting your review:

Confidentiality: All manuscripts and communications related to the review process are confidential. Do not share, discuss, or distribute the manuscript or your review with anyone except the editorial team.

Conflict of Interest: Inform the editorial team of any potential conflicts of interest that may affect your ability to provide an objective review. This includes personal, financial, or professional relationships with the authors.

Timeliness: Please complete your review within the timeframe specified in the invitation. If you are unable to meet the deadline, inform the editorial team as soon as possible.

Thoroughness and Constructive Criticism: Provide a comprehensive review that includes an assessment of the manuscript's strengths and weaknesses. Offer constructive feedback that helps the authors improve their work. Be specific and clear in your comments.

Quality and Rigor: Evaluate the manuscript for its originality, relevance, and contribution to the field. Assess the methodology, data analysis, and interpretation of results. Ensure that the conclusions are supported by the data presented.

Ethical Considerations: Report any ethical concerns, including plagiarism, data fabrication, or other misconduct, to the editorial team. Provide specific details if possible.

Anonymity: Your review will be anonymous to the authors, but not to the editorial team. Please ensure your comments are professional and courteous.

Use of Journal Format: Follow the Journal of Contemporary Economics' guidelines for manuscript formatting and style when providing comments and recommendations.

Comments for the Authors:

The reviewer's report (Comments for the Author) is essential to the editorial process. Your comments will have a major influence on the Editors' decision about the manuscript and the author(s) will benefit from your feedback.  Some general considerations when writing your comments to the authors are provided below.   Your review will be anonymous.  It is essential that the content of the manuscript be kept confidential.

Confidential Comments to the Editors:

You may provide additional confidential comments to the Editors.   These may relate to reasons for your enthusiasm (or lack of enthusiasm), the likelihood for the manuscript to make a substantive contribution if properly revised, aspects of the manuscript for which you lack sufficient expertise to evaluate, and any concerns that you do not wish to communicate to the authors.   Do not extensively repeat comments that have been provided to the authors.

In addition to written comments to the authors and Editors, you will be asked to respond to several questions on the review form. 

Recommendation

You will be asked to provide one of four recommended decisions for the manuscript:

1. Accept.  The manuscript is acceptable for publication as is or it requires only minimal revisions/clarifications and does not need to be re-reviewed.
2. Minor Revision.  The manuscript is likely to be accepted after authors address requests for revision that do not involve major re-working of the data analysis and presentation or of the organization and text of the manuscript.
3. Major Revision:  The manuscript may possibly be accepted with major revisions.  The manuscript is promising but needs major revisions and, in the judgment of the reviewer, may be unacceptable depending on the responses of the authors to the review.  If the reviewer feels that ratings of novelty and importance will not improve even if the manuscript is adequately revised, the decision should be Reject, not Major Revision.
4. Reject.  The manuscript is not of sufficient quality, novelty or importance to warrant publication.

Thank you for your time and contribution to the Journal of Contemporary Economics. Your efforts help us maintain the highest standards of academic publishing.