Reviewer' Guidelines
The Journal of Virology and Vaccine Development (JVVD) depends on the expertise and commitment of peer reviewers to uphold its scientific quality, integrity, and relevance. Your thoughtful, fair, and timely reviews are essential to our mission of advancing research in virology, immunology, vaccine development, and related fields.
As a reviewer, your evaluation helps authors improve their work and assists editors in making informed, balanced decisions. Manuscripts are assessed based on:
- Originality and innovation
- Methodological rigor and reproducibility
- Scientific significance and relevance to virology and vaccine science
- Ethical compliance and transparency
- Clarity and coherence of presentation
All submissions undergo an initial screening by the editorial team. Manuscripts that fall outside the journal’s scope or fail to meet basic scientific standards may be declined without external review. Those not adhering to JVVD’s formatting requirements may be returned to authors for correction prior to further review.
Manuscripts advancing past this stage are assigned to an editor and sent to 2–4 independent expert reviewers. Authors are informed when their manuscript enters the peer review stage and are provided with a tracking number. The typical review period is 2–3 weeks.
Reviewers are expected to:
- Maintain strict confidentiality regarding all submitted materials
- Not share, discuss, or use manuscript content for personal advantage
- Disclose any potential conflicts of interest (financial, institutional, personal, or professional)
- Decline the invitation if impartiality or objectivity may be compromised
All reviews should be professional, evidence-based, and focused on helping authors strengthen their work.
JVVD adheres to the ethical standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Reviewers should alert the editorial office immediately if they detect:
- Plagiarism, duplicate publication, or text recycling
- Fabricated, falsified, or questionable data
- Unethical research practices involving human or animal subjects
- Concerns regarding authorship or inappropriate citations
A constructive review generally includes:
- A brief, objective summary of the manuscript’s aims and findings
- Major comments (e.g., study design, validity of data, interpretation of results)
- Minor comments (e.g., language issues, clarity, formatting suggestions)
- A clear recommendation: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject
Please provide your comments in a respectful, professional tone, avoiding personal remarks or unsupported criticisms.
We ask reviewers to return their reviews within 2–3 weeks of accepting the invitation. If you anticipate delays, please notify the editorial office promptly so alternative arrangements can be made.
Submissions involving editors or their close collaborators are overseen by an independent editor to maintain objectivity. Editors do not participate in decisions where conflicts of interest exist.
We deeply appreciate the valuable time and expertise reviewers dedicate to JVVD. Upon request, the journal provides:
- Certificates of Peer Review
- Annual Acknowledgments (with reviewer consent)
For any questions or assistance, please contact the editorial team at:
editor.jvvd@acadwise.com