Peer review process

      The editorial policy of the publication is based on the principles of objectivity and strict adherence to academic integrity. 
      The Editorial Board of the scientific journal Scientific Progress & Innovations accepts original research articles in English or Ukrainian that have not been previously published elsewhere. Submitted manuscripts must not be under consideration by any other periodical. All articles must comply with the Formatting Guidelines.
      All manuscripts submitted to the editorial office undergo a mandatory multi-stage evaluation to ensure high scientific quality and compliance with international standards.

      The journal's review procedure includes the following stages:

      - PRELIMINARY REVIEW (Desk Reject/Accept) – 3–5 days.
      At the first stage, the Editor-in-Chief, editor-in-chief, deputy editor-in-chief or executive secretary reviews the manuscript for compliance with the journal’s thematic scope, structural and formatting requirements, for plagiarism using special software and the scientific validity of the presented results. The editor has the right to reject the manuscript at this stage if it does not correspond to the journal’s profile or if most technical requirements are not met.
     If the editor-in-chief has a conflict of interest (e.g. if they are the author or co-author of the article or have family or professional ties with the authors), the initial review will be conducted by their deputy, the executive secretary or a member of the editorial board who does not have a conflict of interest.

      In case of significant non-compliance with the internal criteria of the publication or violations of academic ethics, the editorial board reserves the right to reject the material without further consideration. This procedure is carried out with the participation of the Editor-in-Chief or an authorized member of the Editorial Board, provided they have no conflict of interest regarding the submitted work.
      If the manuscript meets the journal's requirements, it is sent for a double-blind review.

      - DOUBLE-BLIND REVIEW – 14–30 days.
      The editor-in-chief (deputy editor-in-chief) determines for a published article the reviewer from the membership of the editorial board who supervises the corresponding scientific direction. Manuscripts that have successfully passed the initial review are sent by the editorial office via email for double-blind review by scientists whose specialization is close to the topic of the article. All personal data relating to the authors is removed from the texts of the articles beforehand.

      Reviewer selection criteria  
      - possession of a Ph. D. or DSс (Doctor of Sciences) degree;
      - documented publications related to the subject matter of the reviewed article;
      - presence of publications in journals indexed in Scopus and/or Web of Science;
      - absence of a conflict of interest with the author(s);
      - no more than one reviewer from the author's home institution;
      - involvement of international reviewers (where possible);
      - the reviewer must not have been a co-author of the candidate during the last 3 years.

      Reviewers prepare a review using a special form. Anonymous review of the article (download the form in PDF).
      They submit their review to the Editorial Board within 15 days of receiving the article electronically. If circumstances cause a delay in the submission of a review, the reviewer must notify the Editorial Board by email. Reviewers should contact the Journal Editorial Board with any questions, requests, or comments.

      Based on the results of the review, the manuscript may be recommended for:  
      - publication in the author's version, i.e. without any changes;
      - for publication after minor changes have been made in accordance with the reviewers' comments;
      - to be sent for re-review after significant revision by the author(s);
      - the article requires additional review by another specialist;
      - to be rejected for publication without further consideration.

      If the reviewer recommends the article before posting it after revision, taking into account the comments, or does not recommend the article before publication, the review must state the reason for the decision.
      The decision of the editorial board is sent to the authors. Articles to be revised are sent together with the review text without identifying the reviewers. If there are comments, the author is obliged to address them, revise the text, and resubmit the corrected manuscript along with comprehensive responses to the reviewer's comments. The corrected version of the article is sent for re-review, in the process of which the reviewers can ask for additional corrections. Revisions do not guarantee acceptance of the article, and if the reviewers find the changes unsatisfactory, then the article will be rejected.
      In the absence of comments or after their proper consideration, the article proceeds to the stage of literary and technical editing.

      - FINAL DECISION  
      The final decision regarding the acceptance of the article for publication is made by the Editorial Board, guided by the principles of scientific quality and the ethical standards of the journal, based on the reviewers' conclusions.
      After acceptance, the manuscript undergoes literary and technical editing, reference checking, and typesetting. Prior to publication, the edited manuscripts are finally approved by the authors.

      Forms of documentation:  
      - reviews are prepared in the standard journal format;
      - all reviews are stored in the editorial archive for 3 years;
      - upon request from the Ministry of Education and Science or other authorised bodies, reviews are provided. 

      Timelines:
      - general timeline: from submission to first final decision: 4–5 weeks;
      - revision window: 14 days;
      - re-review period: 10–15 days.

      Appeal
The author has the right to appeal a rejection within 10 days. The appeal is reviewed by an independent member of the Editorial Board.