INFORMATION TO REVIEWERS

DOUBLE-BLIND PEER-REVIEW SYSTEM
Information for Peer Reviewers:
Peer reviews are critical to the editorial process and quality of the Journal. A well-done review is also essential to guide authors in revising their work.

Conflicts of Interest

If you have any conflicts of interest in reviewing this manuscript, please contact any of the Journal's editors-in-chief. The manuscript will be assigned to another reviewer.
Content of the Review:
  • Your review should focus on the content of the manuscript, rather than editing it for grammar or punctuation or rewriting and reorganizing it (the Journal has a team for that);
  • The SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES is interested in manuscripts that reflect the 'state of the science' and, notably, include practical application. Consider if the content is accurate and up to date. Is there anything the author didn't include but should have?
  • You may want to check into sources cited by the author that are unfamiliar to you;
  • Are the citations and references appropriate, reasonably recent (most within 10 years), and from credible sources? Is the material accurately represented, or is it plagiarized? The SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES editors run all submissions through plagiarism detection software before sending them to the reviewers, but if you notice something, please indicate that. Authors should be citing primary sources - that is, from the original research article or database;
  • If you recommend that the manuscript be revised, you must provide detailed comments to guide the author on the review form in the comments section. Note what they should do to fix the paper to make it acceptable. Should they add details or additional content, replace sources? If you are recommending that the manuscript be rejected, your narrative should indicate why, but do not spend unnecessary time on a fatally flawed manuscript;
The tone of the Review:
Please write your narrative in a nonjudgmental style. Begin with the positives if possible. If you believe the manuscript should be revised, please be encouraging and specific in your comments. On the other hand, refrain from disparaging, critical remarks that aren't constructive.
Confidentiality:
All submitted reviews are confidential and are the SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES property and may not be submitted for dissemination or publication elsewhere. Manuscripts should be treated as confidential material. If you want to solicit the expertise of another colleague to review it, please contact any of the editors-in-chief before doing so. It is recommended that you keep a copy of your review narrative for three months. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact any of the editors-in-chief. All manuscripts are peer-reviewed by at least two independent referees. The evaluation is based on the form indicated below. The review comments will be sent to the author(s) anonymously.
Revised manuscripts:
Manuscripts returned to authors for revision should be sent back to the editors within three months. The revised manuscript should be submitted to the same e-mail address by the author who originally submitted the article. The author should also answer the referees' comments, detailing changes made in the new version and, in case some of the referees' suggestions were not accepted, justifying the reason for this. After the editors have checked the submission, another e-mail will be sent with the final comments and suitable information.
Final version:
As soon as all questions about referees' comments and the revision itself are solved, the editors will notify the author if the article was accepted or refused through an e-mail message. The editors of the SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES reserve the right to make small changes to the manuscript, if necessary, to adjust them to the rules of the Journal or improve the style, respecting naturally the content of the article. Whatever the nature of the manuscript, it should be original in terms of methodology, information, interpretation, or critique. Two referees will attest to the quality of the article.
Please, DOWNLOAD HERE THE REFEREE'S REPORT FORM.