Stages of review
- Receipt and registration of the manuscript, and acknowledgement to the corresponding author;
- Initial screening for fit with the journal’s scope, compliance with the author guidelines, and a text-similarity check;
- Assignment to at least two independent expert reviewers;
- Synthesis of the reviewers’ reports and a decision: accept, minor revision, major revision or reject;
- Assessment of the revised manuscript and the authors’ response letter, with further review where necessary;
- Final decision by the editor-in-chief, copy-editing and typesetting, approval of proofs by the author, and publication.
Timeline
The journal aims to communicate the outcome of the initial screening within about two weeks and the outcome of peer review within about eight to twelve weeks.
Review criteria
- Originality and novelty;
- Significance for the theory and practice of art therapy;
- Methodological rigour and the fit between method and research question;
- Adherence to ethical principles;
- Coherence, clarity of writing and quality of referencing.
Responsibilities of reviewers
- Treat the manuscript as confidential and make no use of its content before publication;
- Declare any conflict of interest and decline to review where one exists;
- Provide a fair, well-reasoned, constructive and respectful assessment;
- Do not upload the manuscript to public generative-AI tools.
Appeals
Authors may lodge a reasoned, documented appeal with the editorial office. Appeals are considered by the editor-in-chief and, where necessary, with the opinion of an additional reviewer.