Associate Editor Guide
As an associate editor, your role is to find at least three (3) appropriate reviewers with the necessary knowledge and experience for a manuscript, and to supervise the review process until a decision is reached. This task is accomplished following these steps:

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please ensure your browser does not stop pop-ups for the manuscript system! If you are blocking pop-ups, please allow http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ to display pop-ups.

How to make a decision at ANY time: As an AE, you always have the authority to make a decision at any time during the process. Simply change the value of the "reviews required to make decision" box from the default value of 3 to 2, 1, or even zero (in case of minor corrections to be verified by you only), depending on how many reviews you think are needed, and the system will allow you to make a decision once that many reviews have been submitted.

The Review Process:
  1. Reviewer selection: login at Manuscript Central Go to your reviewer center and select this manuscript. Then, scroll down and assign referees for the manuscript.
  2. Reviewer invitation: after adding all referees, go back to the detail page and invite each referee. An automatic email will pop up, which you can send after verifying the information in it. The referees you have selected will either accept or reject to review the manuscript. If a referee rejects, please remove him/her from the list an add another one. You need at least 3 referees for each manuscript.
  3. Review supervision: The system automatically sends out reminder emails to the referees with 1 week, one day, and zero day remaining. However, if by that time one or more referees do not submit their review, it is up to you as the associate editor to pursue and resolve the matter in a timely fashion. Please keep in mind that the journal counts on your effort and supervision in order to maintain a reasonable turn around time for our reviews.
  4. Making a decision: Anytime a referee submits a review, you are notified by an email. Whenever you receive such emails, check the status of a manuscript to see if all reviews (or enough reviews, in your opinion) have been submitted. If that is the case, please make a decision as fast as possible. Again, the journal relies on your attention to this matter to ensure a good quality of service.