Editorial & Peer Review Process

Celebes Nursing Journal (CNJ) applies a structured editorial process and double-blind peer review to evaluate manuscripts for scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical integrity, relevance, and contribution to nursing knowledge and practice. Authors and reviewers are blinded to each other's identities throughout the peer-review process. The editorial process consists of four main stages, as illustrated in the Submission Timeline below.

1. Initial Screening (Indicative timeline: 3–5 business days)
All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial screening before external peer review.
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 and relevant ethical information;
• assessing relevance to the journal's Focus & Scope;
• considering originality, methodological appropriateness, scholarly contribution, and research integrity; and
• determining suitability for external peer review.

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. Peer Review (Indicative timeline: up to 37 days)
Manuscripts considered suitable for external review are normally assigned to at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise.
CNJ applies a double-blind peer-review process, in which authors and reviewers are blinded to each other's identities.
Reviewer selection considers subject expertise, scholarly background, independence, availability, and potential conflicts of interest.
Reviewers evaluate the manuscript's scientific quality, methodological rigor, clarity, ethical considerations, interpretation of findings, 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 peer-review 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 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 and figures;
• 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 are indicative rather than guaranteed. Processing time may vary depending on 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.