Peer Review Procedure

All scholarly publications published by the Publishing House of Wroclaw University of Economics and Business are subject to independent substantive assessment conducted by reviewers with appropriate academic expertise.

The peer review process aims to assess the scholarly value of a manuscript, its methodological correctness, originality and compliance with the principles of research integrity.

Detailed rules for organising the peer review process are presented below.

Scope and Organisation of the Peer Review Process

Scholarly manuscripts submitted to the Publishing House of Wroclaw University of Economics and Business undergo a peer review procedure before being referred for publication.

A peer review is part of the substantive assessment of a manuscript and serves to verify its academic quality, methodological soundness, the up-to-date nature of the literature cited, and its contribution to the development of the relevant academic discipline.

The peer review process is conducted in accordance with the principles of independence, confidentiality and impartiality.

Selection and Number of Reviewers

Reviewers are selected from among specialists with scholarly expertise corresponding to the subject matter of the manuscript under assessment.

In the case of book publications, the author or academic editor submits to the Publishing House a list of candidates for reviewers, while the final selection is made by the Editor-in-Chief of the Publishing House.

Proposed reviewers should represent the academic discipline appropriate to the subject matter of the manuscript and remain independent of the authors and academic editors.

The number of proposed candidates and the number of reviewers appointed depend on the type of publication:

jubilee monographs – 1 reviewer is selected from among 4 proposed persons,
monographs constituting the basis for applying for an academic title – 2 reviewers are selected from among 5 proposed persons,
monographs indicated as the main achievement in promotion proceedings – 2 reviewers are selected from among 5 proposed persons,
scholarly monographs – 2 reviewers are selected from among 5 proposed persons,
academic textbooks – 1 reviewer is selected from among 4 proposed persons,
course books – 1 reviewer is selected from among 4 proposed persons,
publications in the Student Debuts series – 1 reviewer is selected from among 4 proposed persons.

In the case of academic journals, reviewers are indicated by the editorial teams of the individual journals in accordance with the applicable editorial procedures.

Course of the Peer Review Process

The peer review process for manuscripts submitted to the Publishing House of Wroclaw University of Economics and Business comprises the following stages:

1. Submission of the manuscript

The author or academic editor submits to the Publishing House a complete set of materials required to commence the publishing procedure.

2. Formal verification

The Publishing House conducts a formal assessment of the submission, covering in particular the completeness of the documentation, compliance with editorial requirements and preparation of materials for the peer review procedure.

If any deficiencies are identified, the author or academic editor may be asked to supplement them.

3. Anonymisation of the publication

The manuscript submitted for review is provided in an anonymised version, which prevents the author or authors from being identified.

4. Submission of the manuscript for peer review

After positive formal verification, the manuscript is forwarded to the selected reviewers.

5. Preparation of the review

Reviewers conduct an independent assessment of the manuscript, taking into account its scholarly value, methodological correctness, the currency of the literature used and its contribution to the development of the relevant academic discipline.

6. Forwarding the review to the author

After the reviews are received, their content is forwarded to the author or academic editor together with information on further proceedings.

7. Introducing revisions and preparing a response to the review

The author or academic editor introduces the required revisions arising from the reviewers’ comments and prepares a response explaining how each comment has been addressed.

8. Assessment of the revised version of the manuscript

In justified cases, the revised version of the manuscript may be submitted for reassessment by the reviewer.

9. Decision to accept the manuscript

After completion of the peer review procedure and incorporation of the required changes, a decision is made on accepting the manuscript for the further stages of the publishing process.

The final decision to accept a publication is made by:

Editor-in-Chief of the Publishing House – in the case of book publications,
Editor-in-Chief of the journal – in the case of research articles.

10. Referring the manuscript to the next stages of the publishing process

After a positive decision is obtained, the manuscript is referred to the further stages of the publishing process, including editorial development, typesetting and preparation for publication.

Ethical Principles of the Peer Review Process

Reviewers are required to assess manuscripts reliably, objectively and impartially.

The assessment should relate solely to the scholarly value of the manuscript and must not depend on the authors’ personal characteristics, affiliation, position or other factors unrelated to the content of the work.

Reviewers are required to maintain the confidentiality of information obtained during the peer review process.

Conflict of Interest

A person invited to prepare a review should inform the Publishing House of any circumstances that may affect their impartiality or create a risk of a conflict of interest.

A conflict of interest may arise in particular from professional, organisational, financial or personal relationships between the reviewer and the author, academic editor or entity connected with the manuscript.

If a conflict of interest occurs, the reviewer should decline to prepare the review or immediately inform the Publishing House of the situation.

AI/ML in the Peer Review Process

Reviewers are required to comply with the rules on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools set out in the AI/ML Policy of the Publishing House of Wroclaw University of Economics and Business.