Peer Review Policy

Global Virology Reports (GVR) is committed to upholding the highest standards of scholarly peer review. Our process is designed to be rigorous, fair, and constructive, ensuring the publication of high-quality and ethically sound scientific research.

Peer Review Model
GVR employs a double-blind peer review system. Throughout the review process, the identities of both the authors and the reviewers are kept confidential from each other to minimize bias and promote impartial judgment.

Editorial Workflow
Each submission undergoes the following structured workflow:

1.     Initial Editorial Screening: Upon submission, the manuscript is assessed by the Editorial Office and handling Editor for suitability concerning the journal's scope, overall quality, originality, methodological soundness, and adherence to ethical standards. Manuscripts failing at this stage are desk-rejected without further review.

2.     Peer Review: Manuscripts passing initial screening are assigned to a minimum of two independent, expert reviewers. Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the relevant field and the absence of any conflicts of interest.

3.     Reviewer Reports: Reviewers provide confidential, detailed, and constructive reports. They are expected to evaluate the manuscript's significance, validity, clarity, and originality, providing evidence-based feedback to guide the editorial decision and help authors improve their work.

4.     Author Revisions: When a revision is invited, authors are required to submit a point-by-point response to all reviewer comments, detailing the changes made in the manuscript. This response will be shared with the original reviewers.

5.     Final Editorial Decision: The handling Editor or Editor-in-Chief consolidates the reviewers' recommendations and makes a final decision (Accept, Reject, or Revise). The decision and the anonymized reviewer comments are communicated to the corresponding author.

Reviewer Responsibilities
Reviewers are expected to:

·       Maintain Confidentiality: Treat the manuscript as a confidential document and not disclose its content or use knowledge of it for personal advantage.

·       Declare Conflicts of Interest: Decline to review a manuscript if they have a significant financial, collaborative, or personal conflict with the authors or their institution.

·       Ensure Objectivity: Provide unbiased, objective, and evidence-based critiques. Personal criticism of the authors is unacceptable.

·       Uphold Ethical Standards: Alert the Editor to any potential ethical concerns, including substantial similarity to published works (plagiarism) or suspected data fabrication/falsification.

·       Meet Timelines: Provide their review within the agreed-upon timeframe or inform the journal of any delays.

Author Responsibilities
Authors must ensure their submission is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration elsewhere. They must accurately report their research findings and provide all necessary data and references to support their conclusions. All authors listed must have made a significant intellectual contribution to the work.

Ethics and Malpractice Statement
GVR adheres to the core practices and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Our full Ethics and Malpractice statement, covering authorship, plagiarism, data integrity, and competing interests, is available on our journal website.