Peer Review Process
DEPLOY operates double-blind peer review: author identities are withheld from reviewers and reviewer identities from authors. Every manuscript is assessed by at least two reviewers with relevant expertise and no affiliation with the authors' institution.
Workflow
- Initial check (1-3 days): completeness, template compliance, anonymisation, metadata.
- Similarity screening (1-3 days): Turnitin; above 20% overall or 5% from a single source is returned or rejected.
- Desk review (3-7 days): scope, novelty, methodological soundness, presentation. Around [30-40]% are rejected here.
- Reviewer assignment (3-5 days): at least two reviewers, screened for conflicts of interest.
- Peer review (3-4 weeks): numbered reports with a recommendation.
- First decision (35-45 days from submission): a third reviewer is appointed where recommendations conflict sharply.
- Revision (14 days minor / 30 days major): with a point-by-point response and tracked changes.
- Re-review (1-2 weeks) for major revisions.
- Final decision (3-7 days) by the Editor-in-Chief.
- Production (2-3 weeks): copyediting, layout, proofreading, publication, DOI registration.
Decision Categories
Accept Submission · Revisions Required · Resubmit for Review · Resubmit Elsewhere · Decline Submission.
Appeals
Authors may appeal once within 14 days of a decision by writing to deployjournal@gmail.com with specific scholarly responses to the points raised. Appeals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief together with an editor not involved in the original decision, with a response within 21 days. Disagreement without new scholarly argument is not treated as an appeal.
