Editorial & Peer Review Process

Celebes Nursing Journal (CNJ) applies a structured editorial process and external peer review according to article type to evaluate manuscripts for scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical integrity, relevance, and contribution to nursing knowledge and practice.
Original Research Articles, Review Articles, Concept Analyses, Theory Development articles, and Case Reports / Case Studies undergo external double-blind peer review. Perspectives undergo editorial assessment and may be referred for external double-blind peer review when appropriate, while Editorials are primarily subject to editorial review, with external expert review requested when necessary.
For manuscripts undergoing external double-blind peer review, authors and reviewers are blinded to each other's identities throughout the peer-review process. The applicable review route for each article type is defined in the Section Policy.
The editorial process consists of four main stages, as illustrated in the Submission Timeline on the journal homepage.

1. Initial Screening (Indicative timeline: 3–5 business days)
All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial screening before being directed to the applicable editorial or external peer-review route.
This stage includes:

• checking the completeness of the submission and required documents;
• verifying compliance with the Author Guidelines and manuscript preparation requirements;
• checking manuscript anonymization, where applicable, and relevant ethical information;
• assessing relevance to the journal's Focus & Scope;
• considering originality, methodological appropriateness, scholarly contribution, and research integrity;
• checking compliance with applicable reporting requirements; and
• determining suitability for the applicable editorial or external peer-review route.

Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's technical, scientific, ethical, or scope requirements may be returned to the authors for correction or declined without external peer review.

2. External Peer Review, Where Applicable (Indicative timeline: up to 37 days)
Manuscripts assigned to external double-blind peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject or methodological expertise. Additional reviewers may be invited when necessary.
CNJ applies a double-blind peer-review process to these manuscripts, in which authors and reviewers are blinded to each other's identities.
Reviewer selection considers subject expertise, methodological or specialized expertise, scholarly background, independence, availability, and potential conflicts of interest.
Reviewers evaluate the manuscript according to its article type, study design, objectives, and scholarly claims. Evaluation may include scientific quality, methodological or conceptual rigor, clarity, ethical considerations, interpretation of findings or arguments, compliance with applicable reporting guidelines, and contribution to nursing science and practice.
Reviewer reports are evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief or designated editor as part of the editorial decision-making process.

3. Revision & Final Decision
Based on the applicable reviewer reports and editorial assessment, a manuscript may receive one of the following decisions:

• Accept
• Minor Revision
• Major Revision
• Reject

When revision is requested, authors must address the reviewers' and editors' comments and submit a point-by-point response explaining how each comment has been addressed.
Revised manuscripts are re-evaluated by the editor and may be returned to the original reviewers or evaluated by additional reviewers when further assessment is required.
Reviewer recommendations inform the editorial decision; however, the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection remains the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief or designated editor in accordance with CNJ's editorial policies.
Author revisions are normally expected within 2–6 weeks, depending on the extent of the revisions required. Final editorial assessment is generally completed within 14 days after receipt of a satisfactory revision.

4. Copyediting & Publication
Accepted manuscripts proceed to copyediting and production. This stage includes:

• language and consistency review;
• reference and formatting checks;
• verification of tables, figures, and supplementary materials, where applicable;
• checking article metadata;
• preparation of the final article layout; and
• author proof review.

The corresponding author is provided with the final proof for checking before publication. After completion of the production process, the article is published online in the next available issue of Celebes Nursing Journal and assigned its DOI and final publication information.

Processing Time
The timelines presented above and in the Submission Timeline on the journal homepage are indicative rather than guaranteed. Processing time may vary depending on the applicable review route, reviewer availability, manuscript complexity, the extent and quality of revisions, and editorial requirements.
For detailed information on the governance and principles of peer review, please refer to the Peer Review Policy available under the POLICIES menu.