• Peer Review and Editorial Procedure

• Reviewers’ Profile and Responsibilities

• Reviewers’ Benefits

• Reviewer Board

• Volunteer Reviewers

• General Guidelines for Reviewers

1. Peer Review and Editorial Procedure Peer review is crucial for maintaining high-quality standards in United Press journals. All submissions undergo a thorough peer review by experts. The process begins with a technical pre-check by the Managing Editor, followed by an editorial pre-check and reviewer recommendations by an academic editor. Based on this, the academic editor can continue the review process, reject the manuscript, or request revisions. The peer review involves independent experts, with at least two review reports per manuscript. Authors may need to revise and resubmit their manuscript for further review before a final decision, made by an academic editor, is reached. Accepted manuscripts are then copy-edited and English-edited internally.

2. Reviewers’ Profile and Responsibilities Reviewers play a critical role in maintaining the scholarly integrity of United Press journals. They must adhere to COPE guidelines, avoid conflicts of interest, and have relevant expertise and a proven publication record. Reviewers are responsible for providing timely, transparent, and ethical evaluations, maintaining professionalism, and delivering quality review reports throughout the peer review process.

3. Reviewers’ Benefits United Press values the efforts of reviewers by offering several benefits, including discount vouchers for future submissions, professional English editing services, personalized reviewer certificates, eligibility for “Outstanding Reviewer Awards,” and inclusion in the journal's annual acknowledgment of reviewers. Excellent reviewers may be promoted to the Reviewer Board and can register their reviewing activity on Web of Science Reviewer Recognition Service and ORCID.

4. Reviewer Board The Reviewer Board (RB) consists of seasoned researchers who regularly support journals by providing high-quality review reports. RB members must review at least six manuscripts per year, suggest alternative reviewers if unable to review, and are recognized with certificates, announcements on the journal website, and potential promotion to the Topical Advisory Panel.

5. Volunteer Reviewers United Press journals welcome volunteer reviewers who meet the criteria outlined in the "Reviewers’ Profile and Responsibilities" section. Applications are reviewed to ensure alignment with the journal's scope and ethical standards. Active volunteer reviewers may be promoted to the Reviewer Board.

6. General Guidelines for Reviewers

• Invitation to Review: Reviewers evaluate the quality of the manuscript and provide recommendations to the external editor. They should accept or decline invitations promptly and request deadline extensions if needed.

• Potential Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, such as affiliations with the authors or financial interests, to the journal Editorial Office.

• Declaration of Confidentiality: Reviewers must maintain confidentiality regarding the manuscript content and refrain from disclosing their identity to the authors.

• Review Reports: Review reports should critically analyze the manuscript, provide detailed comments, avoid recommending unnecessary citations, and be written in English. AI tools are not allowed for report preparation.

• Rating the Manuscript: Reviewers rate aspects such as novelty, scope, significance, quality, scientific soundness, and overall merit.

• Overall Recommendation: Reviewers provide recommendations such as accept, accept with minor revisions, reconsider after major revisions, or reject, justifying their decision.

• Guidelines for Reviewers for Registered Reports Papers: Reviewers assess study proposals (Stage 1) and the full study (Stage 2), focusing on methodology, hypotheses, and adherence to registered procedures.