The peer review process

Southern African Field Archaeology employs a robust system wherein all submitted manuscripts (research reports, comparative/synthetic/overview studies, critiques and discussions) undergo peer review before publication. A three-stage review process is followed: editorial office → two external reviews → editors’ decision. The standard review procedure is blind (i.e., author known but reviewers unknown so that reviewers are able to declare a conflict of interest where appropriate). In the spirit of transparency and discussion, reviewers will have the option to make themselves known to authors upon submitting their reviews. FIELD does not offer open peer review.

• Manuscripts are submitted online and undergo initial editorial assessment to ensure that they fall within the remit of the journal and are in a format and stage of presentation that is review ready.
• Once assessed as ready for review, the assigned Specialist Editor will identify and invite appropriate reviewers, who may or may not include those suggested by the authors.
• Reviewers are given 21 days to submit a report, and two reports are required to make a decision on revision/publication. Authors must, however, consider that reviewers may not accept invitations, miss deadlines or never send their reviews, so that the review process may take several months to complete.
• Once two reports have been received, the Specialist Editor makes a decision on whether the manuscript can be: a) accepted as-is; b) accepted with minor revision; c) accepted with moderate revision; d) accepted with major revision; e) rejected in its current form.
• The reviewer reports and Specialist Editor’s decision and recommendations for review will be returned to authors via the Online Journal System.
• Revised manuscripts must follow the author guidelines and are submitted online together with a covering letter that details the revision in terms of all points raised during review.
• The dedicated Specialist Editor will assess whether the revision is adequate, and whether the manuscript follows the author guidelines – if not, it will be returned to the author who will be allowed 14 days for final revision and formatting.