Guidelines for Reviewers

Articles in Stosunki Międzynarodowe–International Relations are thoroughly peer reviewed. Peer review is by invitation only and is open (the names and affiliations of reviewers are published alongside their reports).

The peer review process for Stosunki Międzynarodowe – International Relations is led by the authors, which means that they are responsible for identifying appropriate experts from relevant fields. However, to ensure balance and to facilitate the peer review process the editorial team may also suggest suitable reviewers when required.

Reviewers are asked to prepare a detailed review according to the guidelines outlined on the publisher's website under Reviewer Guideline.

Reviewer Criteria

1) Qualified: Reviewers should typically hold a doctorate. Exceptions will be made for scholarly disciplines where doctorates are not necessary (e.g. Education, Library Science), or when an individual has a demonstrable public record of expertise. If possible, when a reviewer suggestion is rejected due to lack of qualifications, the editorial team will suggest that their Principal Investigator/Supervisor is invited instead, and the original person could then take the role of co-reviewer.
2) Expert: Reviewers should have published at least three articles as lead author in a relevant topic, with at least one article having been published in the last five years. In fields where a reviewer’s expertise is not typically measured by their publication record or if the suggested reviewer’s expertise is demonstrable in ways other than their publication record, please provide an explanation of their suitability.
3) Impartial: Reviewers should not have any competing interests that can bias their assessment of the article – they should not be close collaborators of authors or be personally, associated with them. For example, a reviewer should not:
- have co-authored with any of the lead authors in the three years preceding publication of Version 1;
- have co-authored with any of the lead authors since the publication of Version 1;
- currently work at the same institution as the authors;
- be a close collaborator with an author.
4) We understand that in small/specialized fields of research, it may not be possible to suggest reviewers who have not collaborated with the authors; if that is the case, please contact the Editorial Team to discuss how best to proceed.

Read more on the Peer Review Process at: https://internationalrelations-publishing.org/for-authors/tips-for-finding-referees/#process

Read more on the Reviewer's role at: https://internationalrelations-publishing.org/about