Peer Review Process

Peer Review Process

RSDD adopts a double-blind peer review system, ensuring the anonymity of authors and reviewers throughout the entire process.

Evaluation of Regular Articles and Policy Papers

All submitted manuscripts initially undergo a preliminary review by the Editorial Committee, which verifies:

compliance with the journal’s scope;

compliance with the Author Guidelines;

scientific relevance and originality;

similarity check using CopySpider software.

Once this stage has been completed, the manuscript is forwarded to two external ad hoc reviewers who are specialists in the subject matter addressed. The reviews are based on criteria of methodological rigor, theoretical consistency, originality, academic relevance, and argumentative clarity.

In the event of significant divergence between the reviewers, the manuscript may be submitted to a third reviewer or to a member of the Editorial Board with expertise in the area.

The final decision is the responsibility of the Editorial Committee, under the supervision of the Editor-in-Chief, and is formally communicated to the authors.

Evaluation of Thematic Dossiers (Special Issues)

Special issues or thematic dossiers follow the same editorial criteria and rigor applied to regular articles, including:

preliminary editorial review;

similarity check;

external double-blind peer review;

final decision under the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the journal’s full content, including all special issues, which must be strictly aligned with the scope of RSDD.

When guest editors are involved:

their academic credentials and scientific experience are previously assessed and approved by the Editorial Committee;

their work is carried out under the direct supervision of the Editor-in-Chief or designated members of the Editorial Board;

all editorial decisions remain subject to final validation by the Editor-in-Chief.

Articles submitted by guest editors to their own dossier must undergo an independent review process, without their participation in any decision-making stage, and must be handled by designated editors to avoid conflicts of interest.

All articles published in dossiers are clearly identified as belonging to a specific thematic issue.