Peer Review Step-By-Step

Here’s how the review process happens in Optica Publishing Group journals:

• Submission: Author submits manuscript online via Prism article tracking system.
• Quality Check: Optica Publishing Group staff perform initial quality check to ensure submission is complete.
• Initial Editorial Assessment: Manuscript undergoes initial quality/relevance assessment by the editor-in-chief or deputy editor, who may reject the manuscript if it does not meet quality standards or is outside the topical scope. 
• Topical/Associate Editor Selection: Editor assigns a topical/associate editor who then selects anonymous expert reviewers.
• Review: Reviewers submit comments for the authors and editor and recommend accept, require revisions, reject, or refer to a more appropriate journal.
• Decision: Editor makes a publication decision based on the reviews and sends a decision letter via Prism.
• Possible Outcomes
  • Accept: If accepted, manuscript moves to the production process.
  • Reject: If rejected, deficiencies in the manuscript are outlined in the decision letter.
  • Revise: If manuscript needs revisions, Optica Publishing Group staff add required style/format changes to the decision letter.