Peer review Policy

The journal follows a rigorous single-blind peer-review process to ensure the highest academic standards. In this process, the reviewers know the identity of the authors, but the authors do not know the identity of the reviewers.

The peer-review process and policies are clearly described on the journal website, including the specific method of peer review employed. The journal does not guarantee manuscript acceptance or commit to unrealistically short peer review times.

Steps in the Peer-Review Process

The peer-review process of VTSE follows these steps:

No.	Step	Estimated Time
1	Internal Review by the Editor	2 days
2	Review Process after successful initial screening	15-30 days
3	Communication of review reports to authors for minor/major revision	2 days
4	Submission of the revised paper	7-30 days
5	Submission of compliance reports to reviewers if major revision required	7 days
6	Acceptance of paper (on successful submission of revised paper)	3-7 days

Total Time from Submission to Acceptance: 29-78 days

• If a paper does not pass the initial screening, it is returned to the authors.

• In Step 2, the paper may be rejected, accepted with minor changes, or accepted with major changes.

Expedited Processing Clause: In some cases, papers may be published in less time than mentioned in the table if review reports are received promptly and authors submit their revised versions without delay. If all necessary revisions are satisfactorily addressed, the editorial team may proceed with publication earlier to ensure a smooth and efficient workflow without compromising review quality.

Note: Authors are strongly encouraged to revise their manuscripts carefully according to reviewers’ suggestions to avoid unnecessary delays in the review process. The journal upholds a transparent and standardized peer-review procedure to maintain the integrity and quality of published research.

This policy is officially applicable to all submissions to VFAST Transactions on Software Engineering (VTSE).