Peer Review Process

Articles submitted to Libraries & the Cultural Record are initially reviewed by the editor, who determines whether the manuscript will be sent to outside reviewers. If so, it is then evaluated in a double blind process by at least two outside reviewers, including members of the journal's Editorial Advisory Board and/or other experts in relevant fields as selected by the editor. This peer review process is designed to assure that Libraries & the Cultural Record publishes only original, accurate, and timely articles and essays that contribute to the understanding of the history of collections of recorded knowledge.

Evaluation: Reviewers are asked to assess submissions based on depth of original research, accuracy, historical perspective, appropriate documentation, readability, and suitability of content. (See reader report form.)

Questions addressed include:

• Is the topic within the scope of the journal?
• Is the topic significant and presented within a historical context?
• Is the scholarship adequately documented?
• Is the article well organized?

Reviewers make one of four recommendations: acceptance, acceptance with revision, rejection, or referral to another journal. Reviewers are asked to include comments explaining the recommendation.

Acceptance rate: Approximately 46 percent of submitted manuscripts are accepted for publication.

Review timetable: Authors should expect to hear the results of the manuscript peer review in approximately three months from the date of submission. Authors receive the reviewers’ comments and are often asked to revise the manuscript in line with the reviewers’ and/or editor’s suggestions. If the revised article is accepted for publication, the editor then determines the journal issue in which it will appear. It takes approximately nine to twelve months from the date of acceptance for an article to appear in publication.