Peer Review and Publication Process

All scholarly articles that pass initial screening are reviewed by independent subject specialists who are not affiliated with the authors, in accordance with paragraph 3 of Appendix 3 to the White List Methodology approved by MRG protocol No. DS/122-pr of 9 September 2025. The editors take into account Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education Order No. 534 of 31 May 2023 (https://publication.pravo.gov.ru/document/0001202307110017), as amended by Order No. 337 of 11 April 2025 (https://publication.pravo.gov.ru/document/0001202505120037), the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers, version 2, 2017 (https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers), and applicable ICMJE provisions, January 2026 (https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/).

Initial screening covers scope, scholarly content, completeness, presentation, ethical disclosures and attribution. The editors may return a manuscript for revision or reject it with reasons. Each eligible manuscript is sent to two specialists with relevant publications from the preceding three years. Review is double-blind: identifying details are removed from reviewers’ materials and reviewers’ identities are not disclosed to authors. Reviewers must not share an institution with the authors or have co-authorship, supervisory, dependent or other conflicting relationships. A reviewer is replaced if such a relationship emerges. Editors and board members do not handle their own articles.

A review normally takes two to four weeks; authors are notified of extensions. Reviewers assess relevance, originality, methods, reliability, support for conclusions, sources, clarity and ethics. Recommendations are to accept, revise, obtain further review or reject. A third independent expert is consulted when the two reports differ substantially. Authors receive anonymised reviews or a reasoned rejection.

Authors normally have two months to revise; an extension to three months requires editorial agreement. Without a response or agreed extension, consideration may end after notification, and a later submission is treated as new. Authors provide a revised text and a response to every comment. Further review is arranged where necessary. The editorial board chaired by the Editor-in-Chief decides; if the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict, an authorised independent editor decides. Accepted articles undergo editorial preparation and author proof checking; substantive changes are reassessed. The editors notify the author of publication.

Submission, peer review, editorial preparation and publication are free for authors; there are no mandatory charges or paid fast-track services. Reviews are retained for at least five years and supplied upon appropriate request to the White List Operator, the Russian Centre for Scientific Information (https://rcsi.science), the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education (https://minobrnauki.gov.ru), subject to applicable confidentiality and personal-data requirements. Enquiries should be sent to the journal’s email address on the standard Contacts page.