Peer Review Lifecycle & SLAs

Double-Blind Peer Review Lifecycle & Service Level Agreements

JEME operates an uncompromising double-blind peer review system: author identities are concealed from reviewers, and reviewer identities are hidden from authors to safeguard complete impartiality.

Workflow Stages & Binding SLAs

#	Workflow Stage	Actor	Deliverable	Binding SLA
1	Initial Submission	Corresponding Author	Anonymized text + 4 mandatory disclosures	—
2	Editorial Desk Screening	Managing Editor / EIC	Referral to review or reasoned desk reject	10 days
3	Reviewer Assignment	Section Editor	Two independent subject-matter reviewers	7 days
4	Peer Review Evaluation	Invited Reviewers	Weighted evaluation rubric + recommendations	21–28 days
5	Conflict Adjudication	Section Editor	Third tie-breaker reviewer appointed if split	+21 days
6	Editorial Decision	Editor-in-Chief	Formal decision notice + anonymized reports	7 days
7	Author Revisions	Author	Clean revised text + point-by-point rebuttal	21 days (minor) / 45 days (major)
8	Formal Acceptance	Editor-in-Chief	Official acceptance notice & Crossref DOI reserve	7 days
9	Copyediting & Galley Proof	Production Team	Author final sign-off on PDF galley	48–72 hours
10	Publication & Archiving	Technical Editor	Crossref activation, OAI-PMH harvest, index	7 days

Overall Benchmark Timelines

• Total duration from initial submission to first editorial decision: ≤ 6 weeks.
• Total duration from formal acceptance to final online publication: ≤ 8 weeks.

Reviewer Weighted Rubric Breakdown (100%)

1. Originality & Novelty (25%): Clarity of research gap and contribution to energy literature.
2. Methodological Rigor (25%): Robustness of methodology and replicability of models.
3. Quality of Analysis & Results (20%): Empirical accuracy and depth of analytical discussion.
4. Recency & Sufficiency of References (15%): Contemporary literature coverage with valid DOIs.
5. Clarity of Presentation & Language (15%): Scholarly prose, formatting, and high-resolution figures.