IUKLRJ uses double-blind review, which means that the reviewers of the paper won’t get to know the identity of the author(s), and the author(s) won’t get to know the identity of the reviewer to ensure an unbiased review. To facilitate this, the authors need to ensure that the paper is prepared in a way that does not give away their identity. To help with this preparation, please ensure the following when submitting to IUKLRJ:

• Submit the Title Page containing the Author’s details and the Blinded Paper with no author’s details, in 2 separate Word files.

Information to help prepare the Title Page

This should include the title of the paper, author’s name and affiliation, and complete address of the corresponding author including telephone and e-mail address.

Information to help prepare the Blinded Paper

To ensure the paper is correctly prepared for double-blind peer review, authors need to observe the following:

• Remove names and affiliations within the paper.
• Use the third person to refer to work the Authors have previously undertaken, e.g. replace any phrases like “as we have shown before” with “… has been shown before [Anonymous, 2015]”.
• Make sure figures do not contain any affiliation related identifier
• Do not eliminate essential self-references or other references but limit self-references only to papers that are relevant for those reviewing the submitted paper.
• Cite papers published by the Author in the text as follows: ‘[Anonymous, 2015]’.
• For blinding in the reference list: ‘[Anonymous 2015] Details omitted for double-blind reviewing.’
• Remove references of funding sources
• Do not include acknowledgments
• Name your files with care and ensure document properties are also anonymized

How the reviewers are selected

Reviewers are matched to the paper according to their expertise and our referee database is constantly updated.

• originality and significance of contribution
• interest to social scientists and/or practitioners
• international relevance
• coverage of appropriate existing literature
• adequacy of methodology, analysis and interpretation
• clear, concise and jargon-free writing style
• organisation

Reviewers are asked to provide anonymous comments to the author and are also given the option of providing confidential comments to the editor. The comments to the author are also made available to other reviewers of the paper.

Reviewers are not expected to correct or edit papers. Language correction is not part of the peer review process.

How long does the review process take?

Typically the paper will be reviewed within 80 days. Should the reviewers’ reports contradict one another or a report is unduly delayed, a further expert opinion will be sought. If necessary, revised papers may be returned to the initial reviewers, usually within 1 month.

The final decision

The Chief Editor is responsible for the decision to reject or recommend the paper for publication. This decision will be sent to the author along with any recommendations made by the referees.
Please note IUKLRJ may forward accepted papers for legal review, if appropriate or necessary.

Becoming a referee for IUKLRJ

If you are not currently a referee for IUKLRJ and would like to be added to our referee database, please email your resume to [email protected] The benefits of refereeing for IUKLRJ include the opportunity to see and evaluate the latest work in your research area at an early stage, and to be acknowledged in the journal. You may also be able to cite your work for IUKLRJ as part of your professional development requirements for various professional societies and organisations.