To maintain the scientific quality and academic integrity of Democratic Governance, all manuscripts undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review. This process ensures that only relevant, original, and high-quality research is accepted for publication. Reviewers are expected to remain objective and follow the journal’s principles of publication ethics.
Double-blind review – authors do not know the reviewers’ identities, and reviewers do not know the authors.
Initial screening – the Editor-in-Chief (or Deputy Editor-in-Chief, in case of conflict of interest) evaluates the submission for relevance, compliance with the journal’s aims, formatting rules, and originality. Articles that pass this stage receive a registration code, and author details are removed.
Reviewer assignment – anonymised manuscripts are sent to one editorial board member responsible for the field, as well as to two external reviewers (Ukrainian or international scholars with a doctoral degree and expertise in the article’s subject area). Reviewers cannot be affiliated with the authors’ institution or have any conflict of interest.
Evaluation criteria – reviewers assess:
Review outcomes – reviewers complete a standard form and choose one of four decisions:
Negative or revision recommendations must be accompanied by a reasoned written explanation. All reviews (signed electronically or conventionally) are archived for three years.
Communication with authors – the editorial office sends the review results to the authors, without disclosing reviewer identities. Revised manuscripts may be re-evaluated; however, revision does not guarantee acceptance. If changes are insufficient, the paper may be rejected.
Final decision – the Editor-in-Chief makes the final publication decision based on reviewers’ recommendations. If the Editor-in-Chief has any conflict of interest (e.g., as author, co-author, family member, or professional ties), the decision is taken independently by the Deputy Editor-in-Chief.
Usual review period: 2-4 weeks
Median time to first editorial decision: 4-8 weeks