Peer review procedure

Specification

As a producer of goods for readers and for institutions that provide education and training, URANUS Publishing House applies peer review evaluation throughout the editorial process. Our publishing house has been on the market for almost 22 years and has a vast experience. In addition, it benefits from the services of an editorial advisor with over 40 years of expertise in the field. Regarding the peer review procedure, for us  only a formalization effort was necessary, if we take into account that in the Romanian editorial practice elements of this type of evaluation pre-existed and we used them regularly, both in the academic or cultural books, as well as in translations from another language. The target of the evaluation is finally the quality of the published book, with implicit effect on the educational act.

Principles and beneficiaries

Our procedures are based on the principles and recommendations of the Common Quality Assurance Framework (CQAF), as described in the European Evaluation Manual (2007 edition), are permanent and continuous and aim at establishing good publishing practices whose beneficiaries are all the parties involved, from education providers, on the one hand, authors, publishers, evaluators, and, on the other hand, beneficiaries: professors, students, master’s students, doctoral students or specialists in the practical area and, to, last but not least, readers of all kinds, who are also the most demanding and on whom the fate of the book ultimately depends.

Editorial profile

URANUS Publishing House is generally profiled on academic books, especially in the economic field, the editorial production being organized in several collections: “BM-Marketing Library”, “TS-Tourism-services”, “MGM-Management”, “ BB – Business Library ”,“ BEE – Business English Essentials ”etc., the results of partnerships with the departments from state and private academic institutions, on curricular, innovative and axiological criteria, the authors being teachers; the editorial debuts are at least doctoral theses, and the synthesis works are made by groups coordinated by didactic personalities with recognized experience and value. Therefore, the works have already passed through several filters and before publication they must have the endorsement of the department that is granted following organized debates.

Regarding the works of history or cultural studies, there are two aspects related to the origin of the work, local or translation, each of them requiring different solutions.

Minimum publication rules

The books or articles are handed over to the publishing house in electronic format, usually A4, or, possibly, according to the dimensions of the collection, set according to the editorial presentation norms. The structure of the basic text of the paper is according to the summary. This is a mandatory condition regarding the divisions, subdivisions, titles and subtitles inside that will be highlighted distinctly and unitarily. To facilitate the consultation, in the header, on each page, on the left is mentioned the title and the author, and on the right the chapter or another significant division. The organization of the material is done on three essential criteria: style, internal logic, grammar. The ideas or opinions of other authors will be quoted with the necessary quotation marks and with reference in the footnotes whose numbering is done either from 1 to n, or depending on the chapter. The works cited in the footnote must be found in the bibliography at the end of the paper. Depending on the nature of the paper, other consultation tools, name indexes or notions can be used. Tables and figures are usually placed after the comment. The color illustration must meet the reproduction standards of at least 300 dpi.

Within the publishing house there is a first evaluation according to these criteria, then a more detailed one performed by the specialized editor. The paper can enter the following phases only with the favorable opinion of the editor.

External evaluation and body of referees

The publishing house benefits from the collaboration of a reputable body of referees, made up of academic or public personalities (professors, lecturers, experts), with national and international recognition, generally doctors of science, with empathy for the editorial field found in the table posted on site. They make a thorough assessment, from a collegial point of view.

Two evaluators are generally selected on the proposal of the editorial advisor. A cross-peer review is performed on criteria of originality, value and novelty, also following the author’s capacity for synthesis, the degree of interest of the book and a possible final benchmarking. The evaluators’ conclusions are materialized in acceptance reports with observations and suggestions.

In the case of translations, the confronter is selected based on affinity criteria with the field of work. He carries out a practical work, with interventions and proposals at lexical, grammatical or stylistic level following the fidelity to the spirit and the letter of the original work, which he has expressly at his disposal through the care of the editorial staff.

Putting it into action

This consists of several discussion sessions with the author to put the paper in agreement with the self-assessment and external evaluation papers. After finalizing the text and the auxiliary elements, the pagination and graphic presentation take place. The signature for the press is granted by the editor and endorsed by the editorial advisor.