Editorial method
What happens to a contribution from the moment it is submitted to the moment it becomes readable, and what each badge declares.
The levels of review
The levels are not equivalent. The distinction between an editorial check and a peer review is substantive, and it is declared on every article.
- Draft
- Content in progress, not yet submitted to the editorial team.
- In editorial screening
- The editorial team is examining the contribution.
- Not assessed by the portal
- The content is published but has not yet received any assessment of its substance from the editorial team. Read it alongside the original source, stated under provenance.
- Editorially checked
- The editorial team has checked structure, sources, licences and mandatory statements. This is not equivalent to peer review.
- Scientifically reviewed
- A reviewer with the relevant expertise has examined the substance of the content.
- Peer reviewed
- At least one completed peer review, acted on by an explicit editorial decision.
- Corrected
- The article received a formal correction after publication.
- Retracted
- The article has been retracted. It stays accessible for transparency, but its content must not be used.
The path of a contribution
Submission
An author with a verified professional profile prepares the article and submits it. From that moment the article is no longer theirs to change.
Editorial screening
The editorial team checks completeness, scope, mandatory declarations, provenance and licences. It may open the review, ask for changes, or decline the contribution.
Scientific review
When the subject calls for it, one or more competent reviewers examine the content on its merits. The default policy is single blind: the author does not know the reviewer’s identity.
Decision and publication
The decision rests with the editorial team and is reasoned. The level of review shown to the public matches the checks actually carried out.
Workflow states
- Draft
- Being worked on by the author. Not publicly visible.
- Submitted
- The author has submitted the article and it is waiting to be picked up by the editorial team.
- In editorial screening
- The editorial team is checking completeness, scope, mandatory statements and the provenance of the content.
- Under review
- The article has been assigned to one or more reviewers for scientific assessment.
- Revisions requested
- The editorial team has asked the author for changes before proceeding.
- Resubmitted
- The author has submitted a revised version after the request for changes.
- Accepted
- The article has been accepted for publication but is not online yet.
- Scheduled
- Accepted and scheduled for publication at a future date.
- Published
- Publicly visible.
- Rejected
- The editorial team did not accept the article. It is not published.
- Archived
- Removed from the public reading pages, for instance because a later version supersedes it.
- Retracted
- The article has been retracted. It stays accessible with a prominent notice, to keep the scientific record transparent.
Corrections and retractions
Content that turns out to be wrong is corrected or retracted visibly, never deleted quietly. A retracted article remains readable, with a prominent notice: others may have cited it, and making it disappear would make those citations impossible to check.
The only exception is a legal obligation to remove it; even then, the record of the decision stays in the editorial log.