Peer Review

Peer Review
All manuscripts submitted to Current Opinion Nursing & Research are subject to single-anonymity (formerly referred to as single-blind) peer review. In this model, the reviewers know who the authors of the article are, but the authors do not know the identities of the reviewers. We believe this process is the best way to ensure the fairest reviews and opinions on articles.
Generally, comments from a minimum of two independent experts are required to ensure a correct evaluation of the article. The Editor will consider the details of the comments, as well as general recommendations, when making a decision, but the ultimate responsibility for acceptance or rejection rests with the Editor.
When Current Opinion Nursing & Research receives a manuscript from the Editor-in-Chief or one or more of the journal's Associate Editors, the following process will be used to evaluate the article. The editorial team will assess the suitability of the article and assign an associate editor or an editorial board member to act as the editor-in-charge of that article. The editorial team will oversee the peer review process and the Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor, who was the author of the article, will not be involved in any part of the peer review or decision-making process for that article. The editorial team will only contact the relevant author in accordance with standard editorial practice of communicating with authors regarding their submission.
Current Opinion Nursing & Research does not allow authors to recommend peer reviewers.
Confidentiality of peer review. It is a requirement to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of the peer review and editorial decision-making process at all stages, while complying with data protection regulations (including GDPR). The invited reviewer must declare any competing interests before submitting their report to the journal. If they wish to involve a colleague as a co-reviewer of an article, they should ask the journal's editorial office before sharing the manuscript and include their names, affiliation, and any relevant competing interests in comments to the Editors when they return their report.
Current Opinion Nursing & Research requires that reviewers do not contact authors directly. All peer reviewers should consider COPE's ethical guidelines for peer reviewers before agreeing to review a manuscript and throughout the peer review process.
In the process of investigating an ethics consultation, the submitted manuscript, the author, the reviewer and any other person involved (including complainants) will be treated confidentially. During an investigation, it may be necessary for the Publisher to share information with third parties, such as the ethics committee and/or the authors' institution.
Peer review portability. Current Opinion Nursing & Research supports thorough and efficient peer review and has implemented streamlined processes to allow for rapid peer review and avoid unnecessary review of peer-reviewed manuscripts. In cases where a manuscript reporting on sound science does not meet the level of interest established for a given Current Opinion Nursing & Research and is rejected, authors may be offered the option of transferring their manuscript to another journal, Current Opinion Nursing & Research, as long as it is within the scope of that publication. In such cases, the peer reviewers' reports are also transferred to the other journal.
Before authors are contacted regarding a possible transfer of the manuscript, the editor may share the manuscript with the editor of other journals Current Opinion Nursing & Research. Authors who do not wish their manuscript to be shared with other journals of Current Opinion Nursing & Research should mention it in their cover letter. Peer reviewers who do not wish their report to be shared with other Current Opinion Nursing & Research  journals should mention it in the confidential comments in the Editor section of their report.
If the authors agree that their manuscript will be transferred to another journal of Current Opinion Nursing & Research for evaluation, it does not imply that their manuscript will be accepted for publication by the other journal. On some occasions, the editor of the receiving journal may decide to conduct their own peer review and/or reject the manuscript.