Reviewer guidelines

Archaeology International operates a double-blind peer review process, meaning that authors and reviewers remain anonymous for the review process. The review period is expected to take around four to eight weeks, although this may vary depending on reviewer availability. Reviewers are asked to provide formative feedback, even where they recommend an article is deemed not suitable for publication in the journal.


Instructions for reviewers

Reviewers are asked to provide comment on the below topics and guidelines:

  1. Content: Does the article fit within the scope of the journal? Is the submission original, relevant and rigorous? Is the author’s depth of understanding of the issues researched adequate? Are the sources and references adequate? Has the existing knowledge base been explored and built upon? Are the chosen methodologies appropriate and have they and the evidential base been appropriately used? Does the conclusion reflect the argument in the main body text and bring something new to the debate?
  2. Structure and argument: Does the abstract summarise the arguments in a succinct and accurate way? Is the manuscript logically structured and do the arguments flow coherently? Is there enough reference to methodology in the introduction and are the arguments fully evidenced and substantiated? Does the introduction signpost the arguments in the logical way and does the conclusion adequately summarise them?
  3. Figures/tables: Does the author’s use of tables, charts, figures or maps illustrate the arguments and support the evidential base? Is the quality of the formatting and presentation adequate?
  4. Formatting: Does the submitted file adhere to the general author guidelines listed for the journal? Are the citations and references formatted to house-style?
  5. Language: Is the text well written and jargon free? Please comment on the quality of English and need for grammatical improvement.


Further information regarding peer review can be found in the UCL Press Journals Editorial Policy webpage https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/site/editorial_policy.