Baishideng Publishing Group Inc

Upon submission of any manuscript for consideration for publication in a journal published by the BPG, the scientific editor first performs a search of the Web of Science, Google and/or PubMed databases to determine the topical relevance and timeliness of the manuscript’s content as well as to make an initial assessment of potential academic misconduct related to the general features of the study and/or topical content. The results of this initial review are either approval to enter into the peer review process (Blind peer review) or rejection. The first step in the peer review process involves delivery of the manuscript to 1 to 3 external reviewers with expertise in the paper’s topic and/or field. The reviewers are allotted a period of 14 to 28 days in which to thoughtfully assess the manuscript and return comments to the editorial office, at which time the editorial director conducts a decision-making meeting to assess the reviewers’ comments. Manuscripts that have received positive comments and meet the general publication requirements of BPG and any specific requirements of the particular journal are forwarded directly to the editor-in-chief, who provides signatory approval recommending that the manuscript is “To Be Accepted”. If the manuscript fails to meet the high-quality standard assessed by the peer reviewers or does not meet the BPG and/or journal-specific criteria, it is rejected. All manuscripts recommended for acceptance must pass a final review by the editor-in-chief before they are officially accepted for publication and entered into the production phase.