Referee guidelines

Holistic Science Publications is committed to strengthening research integrity and quality through our anonymous peer-review process. The main task of a referee is to review the scientific quality of papers and books offered to us for publication. This task does not entail gatekeeping scientific contributions or policing writing styles. We firmly believe that scientific writing can take many forms and have various focuses. However, there are standards for scientific writing regarding clear argumentation, scientific novelty value, reliable usage of sources, valid use of methods, clear explanations, solvable research questions, and concise research problems and answers. These elements constitute a scientific paper. To guarantee and enhance them is the primary directive of the peer-review process. Our peer-review process seeks to constructively support writers to publish the scientifically best version of their texts.

Peer-review process

Once a paper is considered suitable by the editor, it will be sent in anonymous form to the reviewer. To guarantee the quality of the paper, the reviewer seeks to underpin all statements and comments with precise arguments and explanations. It is also recommended that reviewers pay attention to the following aspects:

• The novelty of ideas, concepts, methods, and research findings
• The precise formulation of research questions, research problems, and research limitations
• The soundness and suitability of the selected research methods and theoretical concepts
• The depth, scope, and conclusiveness of the analysis
• The scope, comprehensibility, and conciseness of the argumentation
• The selection of relevant and reliable sources
• The overall cohesiveness of the paper
• General additions or omissions that could improve the quality of the paper

To complete the process, reviewers are asked to send their final reviews by email to the editor. The final review should not be shorter than half a page. If a reviewer considers the research subject beyond their expertise, it should also be mentioned in the review.

Based on the final review, the writer has about 8 weeks to develop their paper draft. The paper is then re-submitted to the review process and published as soon it is approved and recommended for publication by the reviewers. Sometimes, several peer-review rounds or additional reviewers might be required to guarantee our peer-review standards.