The Journal of Central Eurasia Studies (JCEP) strictly adheres to a dual identity peer-review policy. This model is used to maintain the highest standards of impartiality, fairness and quality throughout the manuscript evaluation process.
Definition and Mechanism
In the double-blind review model, two important steps are taken to ensure the anonymity of the process:
1. Reviewer Anonymity: Reviewers who evaluate the manuscript do not hear the name of the author(s). Authors are never informed of the identity of the reviewers.
2. Author Anonymity: The names and identifying details of authors, including their affiliations, remain hidden from the reviewers during the evaluation phase.
The Logic of Double-Blind Review
JCEP mandates this strict anonymity for several key reasons:
• Limiting Bias: Author anonymity significantly limits potential reviewer bias related to the author's personal characteristics, such as gender, country of origin, institutional affiliation, academic status or previous publication history. This ensures that all submitted articles are evaluated on equal terms, regardless of the author’s background.
• Focus on Content: By hiding identities, this process forces reviewers to focus exclusively on the content of the paper, its methodology, results and overall contribution to the relevant fields. Articles by well-known or famous authors are reviewed solely based on the content of the article, not their perceived reputation or authority.
• Accuracy of the Record: The impartial nature of the review supports the accuracy of the published records.
Author Responsibilities for Maintaining Anonymity
To ensure the success of the double-blind process, authors have a fundamental responsibility to properly prepare their submission:
• The original manuscript file should be submitted without the authors names or any identifying information in the text, figures or supplementary material.
• Details of identification, affiliations and acknowledgements should be limited to a separate Title Page file.
• Authors should be cautios when referencing their previous work; phrases such as "our previous research" should be replaced with neutral phrases such as "previous research has shown".
• Although it can be difficult to guarantee absolute anonymity, as reviewers may sometimes identify the author through self-citation patterns or highly specialized topics, the author should take all precautions to avoid unintended disclosure.
The double-blind policy is central to the operation of JCEP's and helps maintain the journal's standard of selective publication , resulting in an acceptance rate of 34%.