Editorial Process of the Journal
The editorial process of the journal is structured in three phases: manuscript submission, peer review, and professional editing.
1. Initial Review
Once the manuscript is received, the Editorial Committee evaluates whether it complies with the journal’s Author Guidelines. During this phase, manuscripts may be rejected for various reasons, such as lack of thematic alignment with the journal's research areas, absence of originality (verified through Turnitin), non-compliance with preparation and submission guidelines, or lack of relevance and scope of the research. Manuscripts that meet these criteria will proceed to the next stage: Peer Review.
Ethics: The @Limentech Ciencia y Tecnología Alimentaria Journal follows the core practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (JM12058). In this regard, the journal's editorial policy includes various ethical considerations. If a manuscript is evaluated as viable after the editorial review, it will proceed to the peer review process.
2. Peer Review
The peer review process at @Limentech Ciencia y Tecnología Alimentaria Journal follows a "double-blind" model, ensuring the anonymity of both authors and reviewers to maintain impartiality. Manuscripts submitted for review are evaluated by at least two external experts with academic and research experience in the field of food science and technology. In case of negative evaluations or lack of response within fifteen days, a third reviewer will be consulted. Reviewers may make the following decisions: Accepted, Accepted with minor changes, Revise and resubmit, or Rejected. The average review time is up to 6 months, although this can be shorter if reviewers provide prompt responses.
Manuscript Submission: The editorial assistant will send the manuscripts to reviewers along with the appropriate evaluation form, establishing a deadline for feedback submission.
Review Results: Once the feedback from both reviewers is received, the following scenarios may occur:
- Approved without changes: If both reviewers approve the manuscript without suggesting any changes, the work will be reviewed by the editorial team for final approval.
- Approved with changes: If reviewers suggest changes, the manuscript will be returned to the corresponding author with the necessary recommendations for correction.
- Rejected: If both reviewers reject the manuscript, the editorial assistant will inform the corresponding author and attach the reviewers' reports.
- Reviewer Conflict: If one reviewer approves the manuscript and another rejects it, the editorial team will assign a third reviewer, whose decision will be final and non-appealable.
Final Approval: Manuscripts approved by the reviewers and revised by the authors will be finally considered by the Editorial Committee for publication. The corresponding author will be notified of the final decision.
Double-Blind Review System: All manuscripts will be evaluated anonymously by at least two reviewers following the "double-blind" process. This mechanism ensures the anonymity of both authors and reviewers, who will not have direct contact with each other, but only through the editor. Any disputes arising during the evaluation process will be resolved by the Editorial Committee.
3. Editorial Decision
Upon receiving the results of the evaluations, the Editor and Editorial Committee will communicate the editorial decision to the corresponding author, along with the relevant arguments. If the manuscript is accepted with revisions, the Editor will return the manuscript with the reviewers' recommendations, which must be implemented and resubmitted to the Editorial Committee within 15 days, along with a letter addressing each reviewer’s suggestions.
Final Review and Publication
Once approved for publication, the manuscript will undergo style correction, layout formatting, and publication on the editorial management platform. This process may take up to one month. It is important to note that due to the evaluation processes, immediate publication cannot be guaranteed.
Author Responsibility
Authors must actively participate in the editing process as requested by the Editor. Failure to respond to requests for completing or resolving questions that arise during the editing phase may lead to delays in the publication of the article or, in some cases, the decision to discard the manuscript.
To facilitate this process, authors are asked to write their manuscripts with the highest level of rigor, checking spelling, using short and consistent paragraphs, applying punctuation marks correctly, and adhering to the established editorial guidelines and conventions. The Editorial Committee reserves the right to modify the title of the documents and make editorial adjustments as needed to ensure the texts are published in their cleanest, most coherent, and readable version.
