Peer-review Policy

1. All research paper manuscripts submitted for publication in HPY undergo double blind peer review and an approval procedure by the Editorial Team.

The materials for the 'Interviews' and 'Reviews' sections of the journal are usually ordered and upon submission reviewed and accepted/rejected by the HPY Editorial Team and are not double blind peer reviewed.

2. Upon submission, manuscript is checked by the Editorial Team to confirm that it conforms to the submission requirements (such as subject matter of the journal and the requirements for the design of manuscripts). If it does not, it may be rejected and the author will be notified accordingly.

3. All manuscripts are subjected to the check for improper borrowings and plagiarism. If the submitted manuscript is found to containt improper borrowing or plagiarism or to have been previously published elsewhere, it will be rejected and the author will be notified accordingly.

4. A research paper manuscript that passed the screening is sent for blind review to two peer reviewers within three weeks of submission. The review is carried out by the peer reviewers on a voluntary basis and free of charge. The review process may not exceed one month from the date of receiving the manuscript. Reviewers can decline within one week from the date of receiving the manuscript and must notify the Editorial Team of their decision.

5. Review process is anonymous for both the author and the reviewers.

6. Review process is confidential. Peer reviewers and members of the Editorial Board must keep all reviewed material confidential. Peer reviewers and members of the Editorial Board must not share materials sent in for peer review with third parties.

7. All reviewers have expertise in the subject matter of the peer-reviewed material and have publications on the subject of the peer-reviewed manuscript. Reviewers may be selected from among the members of the Editorial Board and among experts from various research and higher education institutions in Russia and other countries. In case the article is of an interdisciplinary nature, experts from appropriate fields may be may be invited to take part in the review process.

8. The author or any of the co-authors may not be invited as reviers of their own manuscript. Nor may scientific supervisors of applicants for an academic degree and researchers with whom the author is carrying out academic work within the framework of a grant that is funding the project under which the proposed manuscript was written for publication. Invited reviewers must notify the Editorial Team of any potential conflict of interest.

9. The review should include an expert analysis of the manuscript material, its objective reasoned assessment and constructive recommendations. The review should be concluded with the final decision concerning the suitability of the manuscript for publication: "recommended for publication"; "recommended for publication with revisions"; "not recommended for publication".

10. In case of positive assessment from both reviewers the manuscript has to be further approved by the Editorial Team. Upon acceptance the author will be notified by email, which may include a list of suggested revisions. The Editorial Team reserves the right to reject the manuscript even if both reviewers gave a positive assessment. In that case the author will be fully informed of the reasons for rejection.

11. In the case of negative assessments from both reviewers, the manuscript will be rejected and the author will be provided with the reasons for rejection. In the case of two conflicting reviews, the final decision concerning the manuscript will be made by the Editorial Team or directly by the Editor-in-Chief. In case of disagreement between the reviewers, the article may be sent to a third independent reviwer. These additional peer reviewers are also selected by the Editorial Team or the Editor-in-Chief.

12. At the request of the author, the HPY Editorial Team will send the author anonymous copies of the review of the article he/she has submitted.

13. Reviews are kept for a period of 5 years.

14. The Editorial Team agrees to submit copies of the reviews to the Department of Education and Science of Russian Federation upon request.