Canadian Journal on Aging - Review Process

Authors submit manuscripts to the Editor-in-Chief (Mark Rosenberg, Ph.D Queen's University Mackintosh-Corry Bldg, Room D201 Kingston ON K7L 3N6 ). The Editor-in-Chief reads the manuscript and determines (a) whether it is in an appropriate format or style to be sent for peer review, and, if so, then (b) to which Section Editor (Psychology, Social Sciences, Health Sciences, or Social Policy and Practice) the manuscript should be sent. The Editor-in-Chief sends an "Acknowledgment" letter to the author identifying the Section Editor to whom the manuscript is being sent and forwards four copies of the manuscript to the Section Editor. Until such time as the Section Editor communicates a recommendation (to publish or not to publish) to the Editor-in-Chief some months later, all correspondence concerning the manuscript is normally between the Section Editor and the authors from this point on.

When the Section Editor receives the manuscript from the Editor-in-Chief, he/she selects appropriate reviewers. Normally, three reviewers are identified. Each is sent a blinded copy of the manuscript (containing no information which would identify the authors) and a Review Form. Every effort is made to have manuscripts reviewed in the language of authorship

Reviewers are asked to provide a review within four weeks. After that time, follow-up procedures are employed. Although efforts are made to keep the process moving in a timely fashion, delays are common and authors should expect the process to take about four months. Once the Section Editor receives at least two reviews, he/she reads them and, on the basis of the reviews and his/her opinion of the manuscript, communicates either with the Editor-in-Chief or with the author. Recommendations to either reject or to accept the manuscript are made directly to the Editor-in-Chief. A recommendation to accept is only occasionally made at this stage after the first round of review; more typically, such a recommendation follows a round of revision and resubmission by the author(s). Minor revisions are usually reviewed by the Section Editor only; major revisions are typically reviewed by the same reviewers as was the original manuscript.

When the Section Editor is prepared to make a recommendation (to publish or not to publish) to the Editor-in-Chief, he/she sends the recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief, along with copies of all correspondence concerning the manuscript. The Editor-in-Chief communicates the final decision to the author(s).