How a paper moves through the portal

Everyone starts with an abstract. What happens after it clears depends on the pathway chosen at submission: Pathway A presents on the abstract alone, Pathway B goes on to a full manuscript and double-blind review.

Stage one — the abstract

Stage two — the manuscript (Pathway B only)

After acceptance — both pathways

Rules that bite

• 2 papersEach person may be part of at most two active submissions, counting corresponding-author and co-author roles together.
• 500 wordsThe abstract is capped at 500 words; around 350 is the recommended minimum.
• AnonymisedThe manuscript PDF must carry no author names, and no identifying acknowledgements. Names go on the title page.
• 25 MB · 50 pagesPer uploaded file, for the compiled manuscript.
• Response letterCompulsory when re-uploading a revised manuscript: say what changed, point by point.
• Pathway switchA Pathway B author may fall back to Pathway A and present on the accepted abstract. The reverse is not offered once the abstract stage has closed.

What the status means on your dashboard

A Track Editor invites you to a specific paper with a due date. The fastest useful thing you can do is answer the invitation, either way: a decline within a day costs the editor nothing, a silent week costs the author a fortnight.

What a useful review contains

• 1–5 eachOriginality, technical quality, clarity and relevance, scored Poor to Excellent. A score with no comment behind it tells the editor very little.
• To the authorWhat the paper does well, what must change, and what would merely be better. Point at pages and sections, not impressions.
• To the editorYour candid reading: how far the paper is from publishable, and anything you suspect but cannot prove.
• RecommendationAccept, Minor revision, Major revision or Reject. Required before the review can be submitted.
• ConflictIf you recognise the work or its authors, decline. Declining costs nothing; a compromised review costs the author a fair hearing.
• Draft firstThe review saves as a draft as often as you like. It reaches the editor only when you submit it.

You hold the decision. The portal will not let you record one until the reviews that justify it are in, and every decision you record is emailed to the author the moment you save it, with the Convener copied.

Where editors get stuck

• 2 reviewsTwo completed reviews are required before you can recommend anything on a paper.
• 2 acceptsA full paper needs two reviewers recommending acceptance before it can be accepted. You may invite more than two.
• 2 tracksThe maximum any one Track Editor may chair.
• Late reviewersSend a reminder with extra days; if that passes, a final notice with a grace period; then reassign. Nothing is lost by reassigning early.
• The letterYou can edit the author's email before it goes out. Preview it: it is the only thing most authors will read from this process.
• OverrideThe Convener can change a decision after you record it, and will tell you when that happens.