Review process

REVIEW PROCESS

The editorial process begins with the submission of the manuscript through the journal's platform, after confirming the "Checklist." The editorial process has five stages:

Editorial Review. Led by the Managing Editor, the basic criteria of the Enfoque UTE editorial guidelines are taken into account: originality, timeliness, relevance, language, clarity, style, among others. This review includes the use of anti-plagiarism software to detect text similarity. If the manuscript does not meet the requirements or has serious deficiencies, it is rejected. Uncertainty or omission of metadata leads the Editor to suspend the process until the author(s) resolve the issue within three days. After that, if it is not resolved, the manuscript is rejected. This phase lasts approximately two weeks after the manuscript is received through the journal's system.

Peer Review. Led by an Associate Editor, who is the expert closest to the subject of the manuscript. The Associate Editor reviews the manuscript and, if deemed deficient or not in compliance with the journal's objectives, rejects it. Otherwise, the editor selects independent peer reviewers and manages a double-blind peer review process, in which both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other. The review may include one or more rounds of revisions with two or more reviewers, who provide comments and recommendations until the editor determines that the manuscript meets the journal’s standards. In general, the author must return the requested corrections within an appropriate timeframe, established according to the complexity of the required revisions. If the author fails to respond within that period, the editor may consider the submission as abandoned. This phase typically lasts between two and four months, depending on reviewer availability and the author’s promptness in addressing the requested changes.

Approval. The Associate Editor reports the review process and results to the Editorial Board. If the Board deems the process appropriate and there are no issues or comments, the manuscript is approved, and the date and notification to the author are recorded. If there are any issues, the manuscript may be rejected or returned for review. This phase lasts a maximum of two weeks.

Copyediting and Layout. The approved manuscript is sent to production, where it is reviewed by an editor for copyediting and then layout. At this stage, the Editor may request the original illustrations from the author. If the author does not send the original illustrations, the editing process is halted, and if more than two weeks pass without a response, the manuscript is withdrawn from editing. The galley proof is prepared with the version approved by the Committee and sent to the author for final review. At this stage, the document is called an “Article in Press” and lasts a maximum of two weeks.

Galley Proof and Consent to Publish. The editor is in charge of copyediting and layout, and after making the appropriate corrections, sends the galley proof to the author for review and expressly confirms its approval for publication in a letter of approval. This letter of consent is mandatory for publication of the work. This phase lasts a maximum of one week.

Rejected Manuscript. Rejection of the work can occur at any stage of the process. It is done through the journal's platform via “Not Publishable” communications. Messages are sent to all authors and are accompanied by a brief description and explanation of the reasons. Rejection is final.

Discussion Between Author and Editor. All requests for corrections or changes are made through the platform at their respective levels and are duly recorded.

For detailed reviewer guidelines, please visit Instructions for Reviewers