Review Policy

The national interdepartmental scientific and technical journal “Design, Production and Operation of Agricultural Machinery” accepts for publication original research articles written in English or Ukrainian that have not been previously published and are not under consideration by other journals. Submitted manuscripts must comply with the journal’s formatting and submission requirements.

Key factors influencing editorial decisions include originality, scientific validity, relevance of the topic, and its significance for researchers and readers. The editorial board does not accept materials prohibited by the legislation of Ukraine or containing references to such resources. Authors are informed about expected publication timelines and the issue in which their article may appear.

All submitted manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review, where neither authors nor reviewers know each other’s identities. Peer review serves two primary functions:

  • to assess the validity, originality, and significance of the research;
  • to provide recommendations for improving the manuscript.

Final publication decisions are made by the editorial board based solely on reviewers’ reports. If a manuscript meets the journal’s scope and policy, it is generally published in the author’s version; otherwise, it is rejected. The editorial board does not necessarily share the authors’ views and is not responsible for the scientific or methodological accuracy of published materials or for the correctness of references.

Reviewer Selection Criteria

Reviewers are selected based on:

  • a PhD or Doctor of Sciences degree;
  • relevant publications in the subject area;
  • publications indexed in Scopus and/or Web of Science;
  • absence of conflicts of interest;
  • no more than one reviewer from the author’s institution;
  • involvement of international reviewers where possible;
  • no co-authorship with the author(s) within the last three years.

Principles for Reviewers

  • Timeliness: reviewers must promptly decline if they lack expertise or availability.
  • Confidentiality: manuscripts are treated as confidential documents and must not be shared.
  • Objectivity: reviews must be unbiased, constructive, and supported by arguments.
  • Citation integrity: reviewers should identify relevant overlaps and avoid using unpublished material.
  • Conflict of interest: reviewers must decline if any conflict exists.

Peer Review Procedure

Stage 1. Initial Screening (up to 7 days):

  • scope compliance check;
  • plagiarism screening;
  • formatting verification;
  • decision: reject or send for review.

Stage 2. Reviewer Assignment (2–3 days):
Two independent reviewers are selected. An anonymized manuscript is provided. Reviewers confirm their ability to evaluate the submission.

Stage 3. Peer Review (up to 2 weeks):
Evaluation criteria include:

  • relevance and novelty;
  • consistency between title and content;
  • quality of literature review;
  • methodological soundness;
  • validity of results;
  • justification of conclusions;
  • language and formatting quality.

Stage 4. Editorial Decision:
Reviewers provide one of the following recommendations:

  • accept without changes;
  • accept with minor revisions;
  • revise and resubmit;
  • reject.

In case of conflicting reviews, a third reviewer is appointed or a final decision is made by the editorial board.

Stage 5. Author Revision:
Authors receive anonymized reports and submit a revised manuscript along with a point-by-point response.

Stage 6. Final Decision:
The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision based on reviewers’ recommendations.

Documentation and сроки

  • Reviews are оформлені using a standard journal form.
  • All reviews are archived for three years.
  • Reviews may be provided to authorized bodies upon request.

Timelines:

  • submission to first decision: up to 4 weeks;
  • revision period: up to 2 weeks;
  • re-review: up to 7 days.

Appeals

Authors may appeal rejection decisions within 10 days. Appeals are reviewed by an independent editorial board member.

After acceptance, manuscripts undergo copyediting, English abstract editing, and final author corrections. The editorial board reserves the right to discontinue consideration if revisions are inadequate or if substantial unreviewed changes are introduced.