The Scivant ReviewA Peer-Reviewed Journal for High-School and Undergraduate Researchers
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Peer Review

How Peer Review Works, Step by Step

Every submission that passes screening gets genuine, double-blind human review and a written report. Here is exactly what happens to a paper, and when.

  1. Day 0

    Submission and Payment

    You submit your anonymized manuscript, figures and the required statements through the submission form, and pay the $30 submission fee. Your paper counts as received, and our turnaround clock starts, once the fee is paid.

    You get a tracking ID (for example, SR-2026-0042) on screen and by email. Use it with your email address on the status page at any time.

  2. Days 0 to 3

    Integrity Checks

    An editor checks every submission for originality and completeness, including the required statements and consent, and spot-checks the manuscript by hand.

    We confirm the required statements (conflicts of interest, funding, and AI use) and, for authors under 18, a parent or guardian’s consent.

  3. By day 3

    Screening within 3 Days

    Within 3 days of payment, the editor decides whether the paper goes to peer review. If it doesn't, you receive a written reason.

  4. 14 days, or 7 expedited

    Double-Blind Peer Review

    Each paper is reviewed by one independent reviewer. If the editor is unsure after the first review, a second reviewer is added, and a third only if those two disagree.

    Reviewers never see who wrote the paper, and authors never see who reviewed it. Reviewers declare any connection to an author, and the system blocks them from reviewing anyone they know.

    A decision comes within 14 days of the paper entering review, or 7 days with expedited review. For the first issue (December 2026), expedited review also extends the deadline to November 15, with revisions due 7 days after the decision.

  5. During review

    What Reviewers Evaluate

    Reviewers check integrity first, then score six criteria from 1 to 5 against written descriptions: originality, methods, data and analysis, conclusions, clarity, and significance.

    Read the full review criteria

  6. With the report

    The Decision

    The editor makes every decision after reading the reports and scores together. Scores are never averaged into a pass mark.

    AcceptReady to publish after copyediting and typesetting.
    Minor revisionsSound work that needs small, specific changes. The editor checks the revision without sending it back to review.
    Major revisionsPromising work with problems that must be fixed, such as missing analyses or unsupported claims. The revision may go back to the reviewer.
    Reject, invited to resubmitNot publishable in this form, but could be with substantial new work. A resubmission is a new submission, with a new $30 submission fee.
    RejectNot suitable for the journal. The author still receives the full written report.
  7. 10 days

    Revisions

    If revisions are requested, you have 10 days to send a revised manuscript with a point-by-point response letter. The editor responds within 5 days.

    Every paper gets one round of revisions. The decision email lists every required change, numbered, under “Specific changes requested” in the reviewer report.

    Your revision must make every required change. Your response letter answers each one by its number and says exactly where in the paper the change was made.

    If you believe a requested change is wrong, say so in your response letter, with your reasons. The editor decides whether your explanation is accepted.

    The editor checks the revision against the numbered list. If any required change is missing or incomplete, the paper isn’t accepted in that round: the editor either asks for a second round of revisions, which moves the paper to the next issue, or rejects it.

    Whether a revision makes the required changes is the editor’s decision, and it is final.

    Late revisions also move the paper to the next issue, with an email to let you know.

  8. 7 days before the issue

    Final File, Typesetting and Publication

    After acceptance, you upload your final Word (.docx) file through your status page and pay the $175 publication fee. Both are due 7 days before the issue date.

    We check the file against the guidelines, typeset it into the journal’s PDF, and publish it, open access, in the next issue at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on the 15th.

  9. Every decision

    A Written Report for Every Author

    Every author receives the reviewer’s written report (strengths, weaknesses and specific changes), whatever the decision. The 1 to 5 scores guide the editor and are not shared with authors.

  10. Always

    Fees Never Buy Acceptance

    Paying the submission fee buys a fair review, not a result. Expedited review ($75) buys speed only; expedited papers are held to exactly the same standard.

  11. After the decision

    Decisions Are Final

    Editorial decisions are final. If you believe there was misconduct, plagiarism, or a reviewer conflict of interest, write to the editorial office; concerns are handled confidentially under COPE guidance.

    Contact the Editorial Office

  12. Throughout

    Conflicts of Interest

    Authors declare conflicts of interest and funding. Reviewers declare any connection to an author and are never assigned a paper by someone they know.