For Reviewers

General Information

Scholarly peer review is a quality control mechanism in scientific journals, where the work and research are subjected to a critical evaluation commenced by the experts prior to the publication in a journal. Biology Circle only publish articles that have been approved by the highly qualified reviewers. Submitted manuscripts are subjected to an unbiased primary screening method to determine if the manuscript fits into the scope and dimensions of the journal. Afterwards, the peer review process ensures that articles meet the standards of scientific research. Biology Circle follows the double-anonymized peer review policy (double-blind peer review) and keep the confidentiality of author(s) and reviewer(s) identities throughout the review process to keep an unbiased evaluation.

Role of Reviewer

Editorial Office identify appropriate reviewer(s) and send an official email to accept or decline the invitation to review a submitted manuscript. Editorial Office asks for reviewer’s assistance to ensure that submitted articles for potential publication in the journal is scientifically credible and has been conducted properly and according to research ethics. Editorial Office is responsible for the final decision to accept or reject a manuscript, based mainly on the reviewer’s comments.

Guidance for Reviewers

Reviewers are requested to follow these basic guidelines for the peer review process:

Before Acceptance:

Please declare any competing interests, you may have in relation to the article. These competing interests could be of a personal, professional, or financial nature. If having such competing interests, please do not accept the invitation and inform the editorial board office.

After Acceptance:

Reviews should be conducted fairly and criticism should be objective, not merely based on differences of understandings/opinion. Ultimate objective is to help the author(s) to improve their work from scientific perspective. Reviewer(s) are encouraged to read scope of the journal and the manuscript preparation guidelines prepared for authors once as it will help during the review task.

All submitted and unpublished manuscripts are confidential documents and should not be revealed to anyone else other than peer reviewers and editorial staff during review process. Peer reviewers are strongly encouraged to maintain confidentiality regarding the manuscripts and must not disseminate any information about a specific manuscript content (complete or partial) to any third person/party without prior permission from the editorial office. Reviewers should disclose to editors if and how any AI based assistance is going to be used to facilitate the review as it may lead to breach into the confidentiality of the submitted data. In case of any serious concerns related to the publication ethics of a manuscript including a case of plagiarism or manipulation of the data, please inform the Editorial Office immediately in confidence.

Review Criteria

Manuscripts are evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Material is original and timely
• Manuscript is written clearly
• Appropriate study methods are adopted
• Conclusions are reasonable and supported by findings
• Information provided is important and scientifically relevant

Reviewers are encouraged to submit their review reports in the provided format and guidelines within the stipulated timelines (generally 2-4 weeks) to ensure a fast-track evaluation and timely decision on the submitted articles.

Review Process

Peer Review Flowchart

Peer Review for Editorial Team

Original research articles, review reports or analysis done by the editorial team members are independently peer reviewed. To assure the impartial decision-making and to avoid conflicts of interest, authors with a position in the editorial team will be excluded from any editorial handling process of their manuscript including review procedures, editing and the final decision. Any such submission by the editorial team members is subjected to all the journal's routine procedures with no exception and rigorous peer review handling.

Benefits to Reviewers

To appreciate the efforts of our esteemed reviewers, the following benefits are offered:

• Fast-track review and publication of articles submitted by reviewers as corresponding or first authors
• 25% fee waiver for the article as corresponding or first author
• Recognition on the journal website and social media pages with the reviewer’s consent

Submission of review reports within the stipulated time (≤01 month from task assignment) is a prerequisite to claim the above-mentioned benefits.

If you would like to become a reviewer for the journal, please send an email to the Editorial Office at info@biologycircle.com with your CV attached and a brief description of your review interests.

Technical Support

Reviewers are welcome to seek technical support from the editorial office to ensure a smooth and efficient review process. Please contact the editorial office at assistance@biologycircle.com.