The African Journal of Economic Transformation and Development (AJETD) operates a double-blind peer-review process to promote objective and independent assessment of submitted manuscripts.

Initial Editorial Assessment

All manuscripts received by the journal undergo an initial assessment by the editorial team. This assessment considers:

• Relevance to the journal’s scope;
• Originality and scholarly contribution;
• Appropriate research design and methodology;
• Quality of presentation;
• Compliance with the journal’s author guidelines; and
• Ethical and publication requirements.

Manuscripts that do not meet the journal’s basic requirements may be rejected at this stage without external peer review.

External Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial assessment are evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with appropriate expertise in the subject area.

Under the double-blind process, the identities of the authors and reviewers are concealed from one another to the extent practicable.

Reviewers assess manuscripts based on factors including:

• Originality;
• Theoretical contribution;
• Empirical contribution;
• Methodological rigor;
• Accuracy and clarity of analysis;
• Quality of evidence;
• Relevance to African economic and development issues;
• Quality of presentation; and
• Contribution to existing literature.

Editorial Decisions

Following peer review, a manuscript may receive one of the following decisions:

• Accept;
• Minor revision;
• Major revision; or
• Reject.

Authors may be required to revise manuscripts in response to reviewers’ comments. Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers where appropriate.

The final decision to accept or reject a manuscript rests with the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately designated editor.

Reviewer Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat manuscripts received for review as confidential documents. They must not disclose, reproduce, use or distribute unpublished material without appropriate authorization.

Reviewers must provide objective, constructive and evidence-based assessments and should identify any potential conflict of interest before accepting an assignment.