Peer Review Process

The manuscript submission process for LexForensica: Forensic Justice And Socio-Legal Research Journal encompasses several stages to ensure a comprehensive and impartial peer review:

  1. Manuscript Submission: Researchers submit their articles to LexForensica, where the Editor in Chief assigns the manuscript to the Managing Editor for initial handling.
  2. Initial Manuscript Evaluation: The Managing Editor and the editorial team conduct a preliminary evaluation. Based on this assessment, the manuscript may be accepted, rejected, or sent for peer review. Each manuscript undergoes a plagiarism check using Turnitin.
  3. Peer Review: The Managing Editor enlists at least two experts in the relevant field to conduct a double-blind review, keeping the identities of both the reviewers and the authors confidential. Reviewers utilize a specific form designed by LexForensica for their evaluations.
  4. Decision Notification: Following the reviewers' feedback, the Editor in Chief communicates the decision to the author—acceptance, request for revisions, or rejection—while keeping reviewer identities confidential.
  5. Manuscript Revisions: Authors requested to revise their manuscript must address the reviewers' comments and submit a response letter outlining the changes made.
  6. Resubmission of Revised Manuscript: The author resubmits the revised manuscript through the same initial submission process.
  7. Final Acceptance: Once the revisions satisfy the reviewers, the editor confirms the manuscript's acceptance for publication.
  8. Final Stages of Publication: Accepted manuscripts proceed to the galley proof stage, involving formatting, copyediting, and proofreading. The manuscript is then published either online or in print, according to the journal's format.

It's essential to understand that the described steps constitute one complete cycle of the peer review process. The Editor in Chief, along with the editorial board, meticulously considers the peer reviewers' feedback to make a final decision. Possible outcomes include:

  1. Accepted as is: The manuscript is published without further modifications.
  2. Accepted with Minor Revisions: The manuscript is approved, provided that the author makes minor adjustments within a designated period.
  3. Accepted with Major Revisions: The manuscript is conditionally accepted, subject to significant revisions as suggested by the reviewers and/or editors.
  4. Resubmit (Conditional Rejection): The manuscript may be reconsidered in another review cycle after substantial revisions.
  5. Rejected (Outright Rejection): The manuscript is deemed unsuitable for publication, regardless of potential revisions.