The review process

• Once a manuscript is submitted, it is assigned to an associate editor or action editor, who then finds appropriate reviewers who have expertise in the fields covered by the submitted article.

• The article is provided to the reviewers, who then have up to one month to read the article thoroughly and write a constructive, helpful review.

• The associate or action editor then recommends a final disposition of the manuscript.

• Final determination of the manuscript's disposition is made by the editor-in-chief, the corresponding editor, or other editors designated by them. Authors are notified by email or postal mail of the disposition of a submission.

At any point during the review process, authors can log into the journal's online submission system to determine the status of a manuscript. It is unacceptable for authors to attempt to contact possible associate editors, action editors, or reviewers; all peer reviews are conducted anonymously. For inquiries about manuscripts submitted prior to the implementation of the online system, authors may need to contact the journal staff.