Peer review is very important for the quality of a publication. This objective process is used by almost all reputable scientific journals. Our reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the quality and standards of Gephyra, and all submissions in the category of Research Articles that have passed the preliminary evaluation are subject to peer review according to the following guidelines. Other submissions, such as Brief Corrections & Notes and Book Reviews, are NOT peer-reviewed unless the editor(s) deem it necessary, as they are essentially under editorial control. This is usually a much quicker process.

Reviewers carry out their evaluations through the online DergiPark system. For DergiPark reviewing processes, watch DergiPark's video "How can I submit my review as a reviewer?".

Initial manuscript evaluation

First, the editor(s) evaluate all submissions. Articles that are rejected at this stage are those that are insufficiently original, contain serious scientific flaws, are written in poor grammar, or are outside the scope and purpose of the journal. In some cases, minor corrections or suggestions are sent back to the author(s) by the editors, and the author(s) are asked to revise the submission in accordance with these suggestions. In general, submissions that meet the minimum criteria and pass the preliminary evaluation are usually sent to at least two reviewers, but in some cases where the submission is too specific and only a few scholars are working on the subject, one reviewer may be sufficient.

Reviewer evaluation procedure

Gephyra uses double blind peer-review system. Both reviewer and author remain anonymous to each other throughout the process.

Selection of the reviewer

Reviewers are matched with submissions in accordance with their field of expertise and our reviewer database is continuously updated. Gephyra sends the manuscripts that pass the initial evaluation to two independent reviewers. If there is no consensus between the two reviewers (i.e. one accepts, the other rejects), the opinion of a third reviewer is sought. In some cases, when there is a lack of experts in the field related to the manuscript, the topic is very specific, or there are problems in finding reviewers, only one reviewer can read the manuscript and the editorial board can evaluate it accordingly or or in very rare cases, if there is an expert on the subject in the editorial/advisory boards, that person may be assigned for the evaluation.

Reviewer evaluation

• Please click here for an example of the form containing the questions asked to the reviewers about the submissions.
• Language correction is not a part of the peer-review process, but reviewers are welcome to make suggestions if they wish.

How long does the peer-review process take?

• Reviewers have 7 days to accept the review invitation sent to them. The evaluation period for accepted invitations is 15 days from the date of acceptance. These periods can be extended upon the request of the reviewers if necessary.
• If one of the two reviewer evaluations is positive and one is negative, a third reviewer evaluation is made for the decision. In rare cases where it is very difficult to find a second reviewer to evaluate the submission, or in rare cases where the report of a single reviewer completely convinces the editor, the decision to accept, reject or give correction to the author at this stage is based on the report of the single reviewer.
• The editorial decision will be communicated to the author together with the reviewer evaluations. Revised submissions may be resubmitted to the first reviewers who may wish to re-evaluate the submission.

Final editorial decision

Following the reviewers' evaluations and possible revisions, the final decision of the editor is communicated to the author together with the reviewers' evaluations.

Becoming a reviewer for Gephyra

If you are not already a reviewer for Gephyra and would like to become a reviewer, please click on the "Send Reviewer Request" link on the journal's homepage. The benefits of being a reviewer for Gephyra include the opportunity to read, see and evaluate the latest work in your field of expertise at an earlier stage and to contribute to the overall integrity of scientific research. You can also reference your contribution to Gephyra to various professional societies and organisations as part of your professional development requirements.