Peer Review Policy

Overview

The International Journal of Emerging Philosophy (IJEP) subjects all manuscripts to rigorous double-blind peer review. In this model, neither the author nor the reviewer is aware of the other’s identity at any point during the review process. Authors are therefore required to submit fully anonymised manuscripts.

Initial Desk Review

Upon submission, manuscripts are first assessed by the Editor-in-Chief or a delegated senior editor. The desk review evaluates whether the submission falls within the scope of IJEP, meets the minimum formatting and anonymisation requirements, and reaches the threshold of scholarly quality necessary to proceed to peer review. Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria are returned to authors without external review. A desk decision is issued within 10 business days of receipt of a complete submission.

External Review

Manuscripts that pass initial desk review are assigned to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers drawn from IJEP’s international reviewer panel. Reviewers are selected on the basis of demonstrated expertise in the relevant subfield and are asked to complete a conflict-of-interest declaration before accepting an assignment.

The target turnaround for external review is eight weeks from the date of assignment. Reviewers are asked to assess the manuscript’s scholarly contribution, conceptual clarity, argumentative rigour, engagement with the relevant literature, and overall suitability for publication in IJEP.

Review Outcomes

• Accept as submitted — The manuscript is accepted with no further changes required.
• Accept with minor revisions — The manuscript is accepted subject to minor corrections or clarifications. A revised manuscript must be submitted within 30 days.
• Major revisions required — The manuscript requires substantial revision before a final decision can be made. A revised manuscript must be submitted within 90 days. Extensions of up to 30 days may be granted on written request.
• Reject without invitation to resubmit — The manuscript is rejected and is not suitable for resubmission to IJEP in its current form.

Appeals

Authors may appeal a rejection decision in writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of notification. Appeals will be considered only where a specific procedural irregularity is alleged. Disagreement with reviewers’ scholarly assessments does not constitute grounds for appeal.

Reviewer Confidentiality

All reviewer identities are kept strictly confidential. Reviewer reports are communicated to authors in anonymised form. IJEP does not operate a post-publication open review model; reviewer identities are not disclosed at any stage.