Guidelines for Reviewers
Rules for Manuscript Preparation and Peer review.
VFÍ's peer-review rules are guidelines for authors and reviewers. The rules seek, among other things, to meet the conditions for peer review, set forth in rules regarding the evaluation system of public universities. The Journal adheres to the Publication code of conduct as set out by the Committee on Publication Ethics, COPE.
Naturally, rules such as these are constantly being reviewed. Any comments or suggestions are welcome and should be sent to the editorial representative.
Purpose of Peer Review
The primary purpose of peer review is to provide the editorial board with advice regarding how to evaluate articles, that is, in deeming whether a work is original and useful, thoroughly done, and in accordance with the latest knowledge. The editorial committee then selects at least two reviewers, who must be among leading experts in the relevant field, to review the article according to the procedures listed below.
Peer reviews are always anonymous — that is, double-blind peer reviews.
Peer review of manuscripts is intended to ensure academic and ethical requirements, in addition to being a service to authors and a necessary part of the process of writing an academic article of high quality.
Criteria for Peer Review
The manuscript should cover material that has not been previously published and is not in the process of being peer-reviewed by another scientific journal. When evaluating a manuscript, the reviewer considers (1) the manuscript's originality and contribution to knowledge in the academic field, according to requirements regarding content and quality of academic research at the university level. There is emphasis on (2) accuracy, clarity of theoretical discussion, and its consistency with recognized methods in engineering research. (3) In particular, an assessment is made regarding whether the manuscript as a whole includes scientific novelty, that is, whether recognized methods are being used to create new knowledge in the relevant field of engineering.
Procedure of Peer Review
Deadline: A reviewer is kindly requested to complete a review within 30 days of receipt of the article. Should that prove impossible, the editorial representative or the editorial board member who requested the peer review must be contacted as soon as possible.
Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the field of the relevant manuscript. The editorial committee ensures that the author does not obtain information about the choice of reviewers. The anonymity of peer-reviewers is, therefore, a condition for peer review. Likewise, the editorial committee ensures that reviewers do not obtain information about the identity of the author of the manuscript. The author may request that certain parties not review the article, for example, due to a conflict of interests. Such a request must be supported with arguments. The reviewer shall treat the content of the manuscript as confidential.
Reviewers are first and foremost meant to review the theoretical content of the manuscript in accordance with the requirements listed above. All reviewers shall submit their comments to the editorial committee, presenting their ideas and suggestions for possible improvements and suggesting whether to accept the article. Peer reviews should be sufficiently precise and clear for the editorial committee and the author to fully understand the reviewers' criticism, ideas, and suggestions. Comments should be as constructive as possible, even if the final judgment of the reviewers is negative. Reviewers should summarize their main findings at the beginning, after which they present more detailed explanations and comments regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the relevant research.
Reviewers shall suggest to the editorial committee which of the following applies:
1. The academic article meets the requirements for peer review and will be published without changes. (Accepted as is).
2. The academic article meets the requirements of reviewers, provided the author make minor revisions. (Minor revision requested).
3. The article will be re-reviewed following revision. (Major revision requested).
4. The article is rejected. (Rejected).
If the reviewers disagree in their assessment, the editorial committee decides how to process the relevant manuscript and may refer the article to other reviewers.
If a manuscript is deemed (1) by a reviewer and, therefore, meets the requirements of reviewers, then the editorial committee will, as a general rule, oversee the preparation of the article for publication, in collaboration with the author, while the reviewers' role is finished. If a manuscript is deemed (2), the editorial committee decides whether the manuscript will be sent back to the reviewers once the author has reacted to the comments. If, however, the author does not react to the comments, or if the author's changes are insufficient in the reviewers' or the editorial committee's opinion, then the publication of the manuscript may be rejected.
Manuscript Preparation
The presentation of the material should be in accordance with practices followed by reputable foreign scientific journals. The APA style should be used in the presentation of the material, such as in preparing the bibliography, references, tables and pictures, chapter headings, and regarding the length of citations. The style and format of the article must be exemplary.
The title of the article shall be listed at the top. It must be short and descriptive of the article's content. Below the title, please list the authors' names, their workplace, address, and the email address of the author who is to be contacted regarding the article's content. All sections and sub-sections shall be numbered. When symbols and abbreviations are used, they must be explained as soon as they appear. Symbols for physical properties shall be in accordance with the Commission for Symbols, Units, and Nomenclature of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. Numbers must be expressed in SI units — the International System of Units — and decimal commas should be used.
The article must be either in Icelandic or English. An excerpt of the article, no more than 300 words, should be at the top. It should be in Icelandic as well as English (each version no more than 300 words). Keywords must be provided at the end of the abstract.
The manuscript must initially be submitted in a single document, containing all the required information — the text of the article, images, captions, tables and their captions, and bibliography. As a general rule, the maximum length should be 20 pages, including pictures and tables. The font to be used is 12-point Times Roman, with double spacing.
The excellent quality of images, accompanying the article, is important. Pictures and tables should be presented in a clear format, including explanatory notes.
Once an article has been approved, the author must submit a final manuscript and images in printable resolution.
Criteria for Peer Review
The following criteria are guidelines for reviewers and the editorial committee who evaluate articles to decide whether they are suitable for publication. Reviewers receive a special form to fill out.
- The abstract is in accordance with the content, and the title is descriptive.
- The approach and purpose are described in the introduction.
- Theoretical context and the latest research are explained, in addition to the importance of the research, its purpose, research questions, research format, research methods, and data processing.
- Results are clearly presented, supported by data, and research questions are answered.
- Conclusion are supported by data and academic discussion.
- The article adds to understanding and knowledge in the field.
- The structure of the article is clear in terms of introduction, body, and conclusion.
- A list of sources is in accordance with the APA Style.
- Formatting, typesetting, and language usage are exemplary.
Neither the writing of articles nor peer reviews are paid for.
The rules listed above were approved by the publishing committee of VFÍ. First edition, March 2013; second edition, January 2017; third edition, October 2019.