Guidelines for Reviewers

Guidelines for Reviewers and Peer Review Process

Purpose

The peer review process is fundamental to maintaining the quality, integrity, and credibility of Community Dynamics: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal (CDIIJ). The Journal operates a double-blind peer review system in which the identities of authors and reviewers remain confidential throughout the review process. Peer review ensures that editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, methodological rigor, originality, ethical standards, and relevance to the Journal's scope.

Before Accepting a Review Invitation

Reviewers should accept an invitation only when they possess appropriate subject expertise, are able to complete the review within the requested timeframe, and have no actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could compromise their impartiality. If additional time is required or a conflict of interest arises after accepting the invitation, the reviewer should promptly notify the Editorial Office.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play an essential role in assisting the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editors in making informed editorial decisions. Reviews should be objective, constructive, evidence-based, and respectful, with the aim of improving the quality and clarity of the manuscript. Reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality throughout the review process and must not share, discuss, or use unpublished material for personal, academic, or commercial advantage.

Reviewers should also promptly inform the Editor if they identify possible plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, image manipulation, unethical research practices, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or any other concerns relating to research or publication ethics.

Evaluation Criteria

When reviewing a manuscript, reviewers should assess whether it:

falls within the aims and scope of the Journal;
demonstrates originality, significance, and scholarly contribution;
presents a clear research question, objectives, and rationale;
employs appropriate and rigorous research methods;
reports and interprets findings accurately and logically;
supports its conclusions with sufficient evidence;
appropriately engages with relevant literature;
complies with applicable ethical standards; and
is clearly written, well organized, and suitable for publication.

Reviewers are encouraged to distinguish between essential revisions necessary for publication and optional recommendations intended to enhance the manuscript.

Review Reports

Review reports should provide balanced, specific, and constructive comments that help both the editors and the authors. Feedback should explain the reasons for recommendations and, where appropriate, suggest practical improvements. Personal criticism, discriminatory remarks, or inappropriate language are unacceptable.

Reviewer recommendations normally fall into one of the following categories:

Accept;
Minor Revision;
Major Revision; or
Reject.

These recommendations are advisory only. The final editorial decision rests exclusively with the Editor-in-Chief or the handling editor of the manuscript following consideration of all reviewer reports and the Journal's editorial policies.

Peer Review Policy

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine their suitability for the Journal before external review. Manuscripts that do not meet the Journal's scope, quality standards, formatting requirements, or publication ethics may be rejected without external peer review.

Suitable manuscripts are normally evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise. Additional reviewers may be invited where specialist knowledge is required or where reviewer recommendations differ significantly. Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers or assessed directly by the Editor, depending on the nature and extent of the revisions.

CDIIJ is committed to conducting peer review fairly, independently, confidentially, and without discrimination based on nationality, gender, ethnicity, institutional affiliation, career stage, or personal beliefs. Editorial decisions are made solely on the scholarly merit of the manuscript.

Confidentiality, Ethics, and Artificial Intelligence

All manuscripts and associated review materials are confidential documents. Reviewers of CDIIJ must not disclose manuscript content or use unpublished information without the explicit authorization of the Editor.

Reviewers must not upload, submit, or disclose confidential manuscripts to publicly available or third-party artificial intelligence (AI) systems that may retain or reuse submitted content. AI-assisted tools may be used only for limited language or grammar support, provided manuscript confidentiality is fully protected. Reviewers remain entirely responsible for the accuracy, objectivity, confidentiality, and scholarly judgment expressed in their reports, and AI tools must never replace independent critical evaluation.

Reviewer Recognition

CDIIJ values the important contribution made by its reviewers in maintaining the quality of published research. Reviewer identities remain confidential unless disclosure is expressly agreed by all parties.