The Soil Research Journal uses a double-blind peer review process for evaluating submitted manuscripts. In this process, the reviewers do not know the identity of the authors, and the authors do not know the identity of the reviewers.

Review Procedure

A. Manuscript Submission and Initial Evaluation (One Week)

Once a manuscript is submitted by the author, an initial assessment is conducted by the executive manager. At this stage, the manuscript is checked for compliance with the journal’s formatting requirements and the completeness and accuracy of the submitted documents. The manuscript is then forwarded to the Editor-in-Chief, who evaluates it based on criteria such as its relevance to the journal’s scope and objectives and its overall scientific quality.

If the manuscript passes the initial screening, it is sent to the editorial board for reviewer selection. Once reviewers are selected, the corresponding author is notified to pay the review fee. After payment is completed, the manuscript is sent to three selected reviewers.

The initial screening process includes the following steps:

• Registration of all authors and initial manuscript submission by the corresponding author through the journal website, along with completion of all author information.
• Returning the manuscript to the author for structural or formatting revisions, if necessary.
• Preliminary evaluation by the Editor-in-Chief regarding the manuscript’s basic acceptance criteria and referral to the editorial board.

B. Double-Blind Peer Review (Up to One Month)

Manuscripts that are not rejected during the initial evaluation stage are sent for confidential peer review, without the names of the authors, after payment of the review fee. The process includes the following steps:

• The manuscript is sent to three expert reviewers in the relevant field. These reviewers are not necessarily the reviewers suggested by the author.
• Reviewers evaluate the manuscript and submit their comments along with the completed evaluation forms.
• The reviewers’ comments, together with the Editor-in-Chief’s opinion, are sent to the author for revision and improvement of the manuscript within one month.

C. Initial Decision

Based on the reviewers’ recommendations, an initial decision is made according to one of the following outcomes:

• If two out of the three assigned reviewers reject the manuscript, it will be removed from the journal’s review process and the author will be informed.
• If the reviewers request major or minor revisions, the manuscript will be returned to the authors for revision.
• If the reviewers do not complete the evaluation within the specified time or if their review does not contribute adequately to improving the manuscript, new reviewer(s) will be appointed and the review process will continue.
• The Editor-in-Chief evaluates the reviewers’ comments and makes the initial decision (within one week).
• If the manuscript is not rejected, the reviewers’ comments will be sent to the authors.
• The authors must submit a revised version of the manuscript along with a point-by-point response to the reviewers’ comments.
• If necessary, the revised manuscript will be sent again for comparative review by the reviewer(s), and the new version will be evaluated within 20 days.
• If the manuscript is rejected at this stage, the author will be informed. If it is approved by the comparative reviewer, it will proceed to the editorial board for final consideration.
• If the manuscript receives final approval at the editorial board meeting, an acceptance letter will be sent to the author.
• After acceptance, the manuscript will be placed in the Articles in Press section.

D. After Manuscript Acceptance

After the manuscript is accepted and the publication fee is paid, the abstract is sent to the Editor-in-Chief for Persian and English abstract editing, and the manuscript is forwarded to the layout editor for typesetting.

Once the edited abstract is completed, it is sent to the authors for confirmation. At this stage, the authors are asked to confirm their institutional affiliations and author information (without any change in the number of authors), as well as the corrections made to the abstract.

After the authors complete this stage, the manuscript is processed for publication and assigned to a specific volume and issue. It is then finalized for online publication.

The waiting time for publication depends on the number of accepted manuscripts. However, all manuscripts are made available in the Articles in Press section of the journal website immediately after final acceptance. At this stage, each manuscript is assigned a DOI. Once all articles in an issue are completed, they are published in PDF format and made freely available for download on the journal website.