All manuscripts submitted to Red Flower Publications journals are subject to double anonymous peer review (formerly known as double blind). In this model, reviewers and others do not know each other's identity. We believe that this process is the best way to ensure the most fair evaluation and opinion of documents.
All submissions made to Red Flower Publications must return at least two sets of peer reviews before the editorial decision-maker can make a decision on the manuscript. The details of comments from peer-reviewers as well as their general recommendations will be taken into account by the editor when making a decision, but the ultimate responsibility for acceptance or rejection lies with the editor-in-chief.
Our editorial team works very hard to ensure that papers are reviewed as quickly as possible by peer reviews. However, given the competing demands of the research life, not all reviewers accept each peer review they receive. Therefore, it is not unusual that a paper goes through several cycles of requests before our editorial team finds reviewers who are willing and able to accept. On some rare occasions, it may not be possible to obtain the required number of reviewers despite our extensive efforts and numerous peer review invites being sent. In these cases, rather than further delay your manuscript, your submission will be withdrawn to allow you to address another publisher that may have more success in finding suitable reviewers.
When a Red Flower Publications journal receives a paper by the editor-in-chief or one or more associate editors of the journal, the following process is used to evaluate the paper. The editorial team evaluates the paper's suitability and assigns an Associate Editor or a Member of the Editorial Committee to the editor. The editorial team supervises the peer review process and the editor-in-chief or assistant editor who authored the paper is not involved in any part of the peer review or decision-making process of that paper. The editor-in-chief communicates with the author only in accordance with the standard editorial practice of communicating with the author concerning its submission.
The Red Flower Publications journal does not allow authors to recommend peer reviewers.
Confidentiality of peer review
It is required to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of peer-review and editorial decision-making processes at all stages in accordance with data protection regulations (including GDPR). The invited reviewer must declare any competing interests before submitting the report to the journal. If they want to participate in an article as a co-reviewer, they should ask the editorial office before sharing the manuscript with the journal and include the names, affiliations, and any competing interests that are relevant in the editors' comments when they return the report.
Red Flower Publications requires peer reviewers to not contact the authors directly. All peer reviewers should consider the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers before accepting the manuscript and throughout the peer review process.
When investigating an ethical question, the submitted manuscript, the author, the reviewer and all other persons involved (including whistle-blowers) will be treated confidentially. In investigations, it may be necessary that the editor share information with third parties, such as ethics committees and/or authors' institutions.
Portability of peer review
Red Flower Publications supports thorough and effective peer review and has developed streamlined processes to speed up peer review and avoid unnecessary re-review of revised manuscripts. If the manuscript reporting on sound science does not reach the interest level of a particular journal of Red Flower Publications and is rejected, the author may be offered the possibility of transferring the manuscript to another journal of Red Flower Publications if it falls within the scope of that journal. In such cases, the reports of the peer reviewers are also transferred to other journals.
Before the author contacts about the possibility of transferring the manuscript, the editor may share the manuscript with the editor of other Red Flower Publications journals. Authors who do not wish their manuscripts to be shared with other Red Flower Publications journals should mention this in the cover letter. Peer reviewers who do not wish to share their reports with other Red Flower Publications journals should mention this in their confidential comments in the Editor's section.
If the author agrees to transfer the manuscript to another Red Flower Publications for evaluation, it does not mean that the manuscript will be accepted for publication in another journal. On some occasions, the editor of the receiving journal may decide to carry out its own peer review and/or reject the manuscript.
