SUBMIT - Rules for the review process

Each contribution received obtains the Protocol of Paper which documents all the steps and contacts made in the case. The manuscript is first reviewed using an anti-plagiarism program. This is followed by an initial evaluation by the executive board. In the case when the article contains too big match with other sources, is evidently out of the aim and scope of the Journal, embodies unquestioned and hardly corrigible failures concerning the formal aspects, language level or technical mistakes alternatively it is in contradiction with moral principles of the Journal (like racism, sexism, extreme nationalism etc.), the Executive Board can decide without reviews. It can decide to reject or finalize the contribution even before the external review process.

If the contribution is accepted for the external review process, the Executive Board defines at least two reviewers who are asked to make their reviews. The reviewers have to be independent of the author and/or one another. European Countryside operates on the base of the double-blind process. The papers are sent to the reviewers anonymously and the authors are not informed about the names of the reviewers. The review procedure continues until at least two independent reviews are at disposal. The following aspects are evaluated: links with the aim and scope, the logic of the structure of the paper, originality of information, the relation of the conclusions to the theoretical and empirical findings, optimum form and size, adequacy of figures and tables, the relevance of references, level of language. The recommendations of reviewers as well as the decision of the Executive Board can be as follow: to publish in the existing form, to publish with minor changes, to publish after reworking, substantially to rework as a new paper, or to reject.

The following reaction of authors is expected: to agree with the conclusions of reviewers and improve the paper if necessary, to disagree (with all or more often with some recommendations) and explain their standpoints, or to draw the paper down. The final decision of the Executive Board which follows is definitive.