Peer Review Process

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to Mandarinable: Journal of Chinese Studies undergo a rigorous peer review process to ensure academic quality and integrity. The stages are as follows:

Initial Review

All submissions are first reviewed by the Editor in Chief or relevant editors to assess their relevance to the journal’s aims and scope, compliance with submission guidelines, originality, and basic academic quality. Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria may be rejected at this stage without external review.

Double-Blind Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are sent to at least two independent reviewers under a double-blind review system, where both authors and reviewers remain anonymous.

  • Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on originality, methodological rigor, clarity of presentation, significance of findings, and overall contribution to the field.
  • Reviewers must declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the authors.
  • Each reviewer provides one of the following recommendations:
    • Accept without revision
    • Accept with minor revision
    • Resubmit for Review (major revision and may be sent back to reviewer)
    • Decline Submission
  • The estimated time for the peer review is three (3) weeks from the date of assignment to reviewer.

Revision Process

  • Minor Revisions: Authors are requested to address reviewers’ comments. The revised manuscript is checked by the handling editor to ensure that all issues have been resolved.
  • Major Revisions: Authors are required to substantially revise the manuscript and resubmit. The revised version may be sent back to the original reviewers for re-evaluation.
  • Conflicting Reports: If one peer review report is positive and the other is negative, the manuscript may either be sent to a third reviewer for additional evaluation or rejected, based on the decision of the editorial team.
  • Decline Submission: Manuscripts that fail to meet academic and ethical standards may be declined at any stage.

Final Decision

The Editor in Chief, in consultation with the assigned Section Editor when appropriate, makes the final editorial decision on all manuscripts (acceptance, further revision, or rejection), taking into account the reviewers’ recommendations. The Editorial Board may be consulted in exceptional cases, but the ultimate authority rests with the Editor in Chief.

After Acceptance

Once accepted, the manuscript proceeds to copyediting, layout editing, and final publication.