Editorial Process
Lumina Press employs a rigorous, multi-mode peer review system—including single-blind peer review (the reviewers are anonymous), double-blind peer review (both the authors and reviewers keep their anonymity), and open peer review (the identities of authors and the reviewers are known by all participants)—to adapt to the requirements of different journals and ensure the highest quality of published research. For most journals, a stringent double-blind peer review is standard for all submissions (except for non-peer-reviewed pieces, like editorials). Authors should carefully read the peer review policy of the targeted journal before submission.
Generally, the whole publication process covers the following steps:
Submission received — Pre-check (by the Editorial Office and then by an Academic Editor) — Peer review — Editor decision — Production — Published online. Submissions may be rejected at any stage prior to the final acceptance decision.
Taking double-blind peer review as an example:
Submission received
Lumina Press uses Open Journal Systems for running its journals. Authors should register an account and follow the submission guidelines to submit their articles.
Pre-check
New submissions will first be pre-checked by the Editorial Office for overall suitability (structure, similarity index, etc.).
Submissions passing the above technical pre-review will be sent to an Academic Editor (the Editor-in-Chief, Guest Editor, or an Editorial Board Member approved by the Editor-in-Chief), who will decide whether the manuscript meets the standards (e.g., research topic, scientific soundness, etc.) for peer review.
Peer review
Manuscripts passing pre-check will be delivered to an Assigned Editor (i.e., an Editorial Board Member) invited by the Academic Editor.
The Assigned Editor selects at least two independent, qualified reviewers. Author-suggested reviewers or an avoidance list may be provided with full contact information, but the final selection rests with the Assigned Editor.
Based on assessing originality, methodology, scholarly significance, results presentation, conclusion support, and referencing of the manuscript, reviewers write their review reports and make a recommendation: Accept Submission, Revisions Required, Resubmit for Review, Resubmit Elsewhere, Decline Submission, or See Comments. At least two valid reports are collected for one manuscript.
Editor decision
The Assigned Editor compiles the received comments and reports to the Editor-in-Chief.
The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision.
- Accept Submission: Accept directly and send for production.
- Revisions Required: Minor revisions; authors have up to 7 days to return the revisions.
- Resubmit for Review: Major revisions; authors have up to 14 days to return the revisions. A new round of review process will be carried out prior to acceptance.
Authors of rejected manuscripts may appeal in writing to the Editorial Office within 4 weeks, providing detailed reasons and point-by-point responses to reviewers. The Editor-in-Chief’s decision on appeals is final.
Production
Lumina Press performs production on accepted articles, including copy editing and typesetting. Authors are required to maintain close contact with the journal’s Editorial Office during this stage to complete the proofreading.
Published online
Approved by all the authors, accepted articles will be published online immediately.
Note: All editors and reviewers involved in the publication process should avoid conflicts of interest.
