Information for Reviewers

SOAP Peer Reviewer Code of Conduct & Operational Framework

Upholding scientific rigor, editorial transparency, and professional integrity across all Scientific Open Access Publishing journals.

I. Ethical Principles & Confidentiality Commitments

Conflict of Interest & Neutrality

Referees must immediately recuse themselves upon detecting any competing financial, institutional, or personal ties with the authors.

  • Institutional overlap (same entity/department) is strictly prohibited.
  • Joint publications or active research collaborations within the past 3 years constitute a disqualifying conflict.
Mandatory Policy: Generative AI Prohibition

To protect author intellectual property and manuscript confidentiality, referees are strictly forbidden from uploading unpublished manuscripts into LLM tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude). Reviews generated via AI algorithms will be automatically invalidated.

II. The 4-Stage Manuscript Evaluation Pipeline

STAGE 1
Initial Triage & Editorial Pre-Check

Submissions undergo administrative verification by the Managing Editor, followed by scope and scientific relevance evaluation by the Academic Editor before advancing to peer review.

STAGE 2
Methodological Audit & Technical Assessment

At least two independent referee reports are solicited. Referees evaluate the submission based on article type:

Research Articles: Experimental reproducibility, data integrity, clarity of figures/tables, and sound conclusion support.
Review Papers: Comprehensive literature synthesis, identification of research gaps, and unbiased citation practices.
STAGE 3
Report Formulation & Citation Integrity

Reviewers provide structured feedback containing a summary, general methodology comments, and line-specific observations. Unwarranted requests for self-citation are strictly prohibited.

STAGE 4 Editorial Decision Taxonomy
Unconditional Approval Ready for production without further revisions.
Provisional Approval Minor corrections required (returned within 5 days).
Comprehensive Re-review Major edits required; subject to re-evaluation (within 10 days; max 2 rounds).
Declination Rejected due to fundamental flaws or insufficient novelty.

III. The SOAP Reviewer Ecosystem & Recognition

Referee Rewards & Credit Program

  • APC Credit Vouchers: Earn cumulative fee-discount vouchers redeemable for future SOAP Article Processing Charges or language editing.
  • Institutional Certification: Obtain official Reviewer Certificates to validate peer review metrics.
  • Web of Science & ORCID Sync: Seamlessly deposit reviewing milestones directly into your Web of Science Reviewer Profile and ORCID record.
  • Annual Excellence Honors: Eligibility for annual "Outstanding Referee Recognition" awards.

Joining Our Referee Network

Qualified scholars (holding a PhD/MD and an active publication record) can participate via two avenues:

• Reviewer Board (RB): Experienced scholars evaluating at least 6 manuscripts annually on a renewable 1-year appointment.

• Ad-hoc Volunteer Reviewers: Apply to evaluate specific submissions via the OJS portal under the "Peer Review Opportunities" menu.

Interested scholars are invited to send their CV and ORCID ID to the Editorial Office.