Peer Review Policy
All submissions to Materials Engineering and Technologies (MET) undergo a rigorous, transparent peer-review process managed through the Editorial Manager system. The process emphasizes scientific rigor, reproducibility, and alignment with COPE guidelines, specifically tailored to materials science and engineering.
1. Initial Submission
- Authors submit manuscripts to the Editor-in-Chief (EIC). Submissions must include:
- Full experimental details (e.g., synthesis protocols, characterization methods such as SEM/XRD, mechanical testing conditions).
- Declarations of conflicts of interest (e.g., industry partnerships, patent filings).
- Safety compliance documentation for hazardous materials (e.g., nanomaterials, toxic solvents).
2. Associate Editor Assignment
- The EIC assigns an Associate Editor (AE) specializing in the manuscript’s subfield (e.g., biomaterials, nanomaterials, additive manufacturing).
- If the EIC has conflicts of interest (e.g., prior collaboration with authors within the past 3 years), a senior AE takes responsibility.
3. Referee Selection
- The AE recommends 3–5 referees with expertise in:
- Materials characterization (e.g., TEM, AFM, DSC).
- Industry applications (e.g., aerospace, biomedical devices, energy storage).
- Computational modeling (e.g., DFT, finite element analysis).
- Referees must:
- Have no institutional or collaborative ties to authors within the past 5 years.
- Demonstrate experience in applied materials research (e.g., prior work with Siemens, 3M, or research consortia).
- Review deadlines are 4–8 weeks, with extensions permitted for complex validations (e.g., replicating fatigue testing protocols).
4. Technical Review
Referees evaluate:
- Reproducibility: Sufficient detail to replicate experiments (e.g., sintering temperatures, polymer curing times).
- Data integrity: Raw datasets (e.g., stress-strain curves, XRD peak lists) must be provided as supplementary files.
- Industrial relevance: Scalability of lab-scale methods (e.g., cost analysis for large-scale ceramic production).
- Safety protocols: Validated handling procedures for hazardous materials (e.g., nanoparticle disposal guidelines).
5. Editorial Decision
The EIC issues a final decision based on referee consensus:
- Accept: Manuscript proceeds to production.
- Minor Revisions: Authors address technical queries (e.g., clarifying TEM image interpretation) within 2 weeks.
- Major Revisions: Resubmission undergoes re-evaluation by original referees, focusing on revised datasets (e.g., corrected mechanical property tables).
- Reject: Authors may appeal with new evidence (e.g., additional biocompatibility tests) or resubmit after major methodological revisions.
6. Post-Review Actions
- Accepted manuscripts: Published with DOI and indexed in materials science databases (e.g., Scopus, Materials Science Citation Index).
- Revisions: Revised submissions must include:
- A point-by-point response to reviewer comments.
- Updated supplementary files (e.g., raw FIB-SEM data, COMSOL simulation scripts).
- Retractions: Proven ethical violations (e.g., image manipulation, undisclosed conflicts) result in immediate retraction with a public notice.
Special Considerations for Materials Science
- Data sharing: Authors must provide open-access raw data (e.g., .cif files for crystal structures, .stl files for 3D-printed models).
- Multidisciplinary submissions: Studies combining materials science with other fields (e.g., AI-driven alloy design) require cross-disciplinary reviewer input.
- Standardized reporting: Adherence to community guidelines (e.g., MIAB guidelines for biomaterials, ASTM standards for mechanical testing).
By adhering to this process, MET ensures the publication of innovative, ethical, and industrially actionable research in materials engineering. For queries, contact the editorial office at met@gospub.com.
