Internal and external review of an article
In the publication process there are usually two levels of evaluation: internal editorial screening and external scholarly peer review. First the article is assessed by the editorial office, then—if needed—by independent subject experts.
In detail
Authors often call everything simply “review,” but in practice the stages differ.
Internal screening
This is the initial stage when the manuscript is screened by the journal editorial office. They evaluate whether the article fits the journal’s scope, whether formatting requirements are met, whether the basic quality is sufficient, and whether there are obvious problems with ethics, structure, or presentation.
This stage may be called
- editorial screening;
- initial quality check;
- desk evaluation.
Sometimes a paper is rejected already at this stage, without being sent to external reviewers.
External peer review
If the article passes the editorial filter, it may be sent to subject experts. They evaluate scientific novelty, methodological correctness, the logic of results, the strength of conclusions, and the overall scholarly value of the work.
What review models exist
- single anonymized review;
- double anonymized review;
- triple anonymized review;
- open review.
It is important for the author to understand that “silence from reviewers” does not always mean delay. The article may still be at the internal stage and may not even have been sent out for external review yet.
What is important to remember
Internal screening is responsible for editorial suitability, while external peer review is responsible for the scientific evaluation of the content.