What is peer review?

Peer review is the system used to assess the quality of a manuscript before it is published. Independent researchers in the relevant research area assess submitted manuscripts for originality, validity and significance to help editors determine whether a manuscript should be published in their journal.

How does it work?

When a manuscript is submitted to a journal, it is assessed to see if it meets the criteria for submission. If it does, the editorial team will select potential peer reviewers within the field of research to peer-review the manuscript and make recommendations.

JND operates a double-anonymized peer-review system, where the reviewers do not know the names of the authors, and the authors do not know who reviewed their manuscripts.

JND's publication of research articles primarily depends on their scientific validity and coherence, as judged by our external expert editors and peer reviewers. They will also assess whether the writing is comprehensible and whether the work represents a valuable contribution to the field of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Why do peer review?

Peer review is an integral part of scientific publishing that confirms the validity of the manuscript. Peer reviewers are experts who volunteer their time to help improve the manuscripts they review. By undergoing peer review, manuscripts should become:

• More Accurate and Reliable - Peer review ensures that experts in the field critically evaluate the research methods, data analysis, and conclusions.
• More Comprehensive and Clear - Feedback from reviewers often highlights areas needing further explanation or additional data.
• More Balanced and Objective - Reviewers provide an outside perspective, helping to reduce potential author biases.
• Better Supported by Evidence - Reviewers may suggest additional literature or data to strengthen the manuscript.
• Refined - The process includes recommendations for improving structure, language, and presentation.

The peer review process encompasses three stages

Initial Stage

The editorial secretariat receives the manuscript and runs it through the basic editorial checks (alignment of submission guidelines, Plagiarism, Artificial Intelligence level).

External Peer Review Process

Submitted manuscripts will generally be reviewed by two to three independent experts who will be asked to evaluate whether the manuscript is scientifically sound and coherent, duplicates already published work, and whether or not the manuscript is sufficiently clear for publication. Reviewers will also be asked to indicate how interesting and significant the research is. Decisions will be made as rapidly as possible, and the journal strives to return reviewers' comments to authors within 6 weeks.

The Editors will reach a decision based on these reports and, where necessary, will consult with Editorial Board members.

Final Review Process

• Carry out a complete final review of the manuscript.
• Ask for any additional changes for clarity where applicable.
• Send the manuscript to the author for proofreading.
• Approve the final manuscript for publication.

Publication Stage

• Once the manuscript is accepted, authors pay a USD 50 publication fee.
• The final manuscript then undergoes final formatting and copyediting into an article.
• The manuscript shall be assigned a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI).
• The manuscript shall be published in print and online versions in the upcoming issue.
• The authors receive an email stating that the article has been published, and they can then share it on their social media platforms.