Editorial Evaluation and Peer Review Process
The journal's evaluation process is managed through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform, which enables the submission and tracking of manuscripts for its sections on Applied Research, Innovation, and Science Outreach.
In line with the multidisciplinary nature of Applied, these sections address key areas of impact from a cross-cutting perspective, including climate change, the environment, mobility, sustainable food systems, eco-efficient production, digital sustainability, digital solutions, advanced manufacturing, and production processes. All submissions are evaluated according to their type and the journal's editorial guidelines, which can be consulted in the submissions section.
The Applied Research section is dedicated to works presenting research findings with practical applications and potential social, environmental, or productive impact. The Innovation section focuses on the presentation and analysis of proposals, processes, methodologies, or innovative developments in scientific and technological fields with potential social, environmental, or productive impact.
The Science Outreach section is intended for a non-specialized audience and welcomes contributions that communicate knowledge, issues, reflections, and findings of social relevance through clear, accessible, and contextualized language. This section includes popular science essays, adaptations of research into plain and accessible language, explanatory articles, illustrative case studies, and reflective pieces aimed at explaining concepts and issues, translating scientific findings, and promoting their understanding and discussion in the public sphere.
Review Modality
All submitted manuscripts are subject to a peer review process according to the corresponding section and publication modality.
For both the Applied Research and Innovation sections, manuscripts are evaluated by external academic reviewers through a double-blind peer review process. However, when a manuscript submitted to the Innovation section is derived from a patent or a previously registered and publicly accessible development that allows the authorship to be identified, the evaluation process will be conducted through an open peer review process, without anonymity between authors and reviewers.
For a manuscript in either section to be accepted, two favorable reviews are required. In the event of conflicting reviews, a third evaluation will be requested to reach a final decision. Two unfavorable reviews result in the definitive rejection of the manuscript.
Manuscripts submitted to the Science Outreach section are evaluated through an internal review process using a specific evaluation format tailored to the communicative and accessibility characteristics of this section.
All reviewers are given a maximum of four weeks to submit their evaluation. The possible outcomes of the review process are:
- Not publishable
- Publishable in its current form
- Publishable with mandatory revisions
- Publishable with suggested revisions at the authors' discretion
Similarity and Plagiarism Detection Strategy
To ensure the originality, academic integrity, and scientific quality of the published content, all manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo a similarity and potential plagiarism detection process using Turnitin software before being sent for review.
The maximum acceptable similarity rate is 20% of the manuscript's total content, excluding references, properly attributed quotations, and commonly used technical expressions. The resulting report is subsequently assessed by the editorial team. If the similarity report exceeds this threshold, the manuscript will be returned to the authors so that they may make the necessary corrections and clarifications before the review process continues.
The journal recognizes that, in some cases, authors may draw upon their own previously published work. However, the use of such material must be properly cited and may not exceed one-third of the total content of the proposed manuscript. Excessive use of previously published texts, even when authored by the same authors, will be considered plagiarism.
Editorial Workflow
The editorial process is carried out in the following stages, with variations depending on the section to which the manuscript is submitted:
• First Stage: Manuscript Submission and Editorial Team Assessment
Once a submission is received through the OJS platform, the editorial team reviews the manuscript to ensure that it complies with the journal's thematic scope, editorial policy, and author guidelines. At this stage, authors receive a submission agreement form, which they must sign as a guarantee of originality, unpublished status, and acceptance of the journal's editorial procedures.
Turnitin software is used to detect similarities and the use of text generated by artificial intelligence. If the percentage of similarities or AI-generated text exceeds 20%, the manuscript may be rejected or returned to the authors for the necessary revisions.
Based on this initial assessment, the editorial team decides whether the submission should be rejected, returned for revisions, or forwarded to the appropriate review stage according to the section:
Applied Research and Innovation: submissions proceed to a second stage of evaluation through academic peer review.
Science Outreach: manuscripts do not undergo external review after the internal evaluation stage.
• Second Stage (Applied Research and Innovation only): Academic Peer Review
Reviewers are asked to submit their evaluations within a maximum period of four weeks, as detailed in the section entitled "Review Modality."
During the review process, Applied guarantees the anonymity of authors and reviewers under a double-blind peer review model for all manuscripts submitted to the Applied Research section and for those submitted to the Innovation section that do not derive from publicly available information that could reveal the authors' identities.
When a manuscript submitted to the Innovation section is derived from a patent, registered development, or other publicly accessible information that allows the authorship to be identified, the evaluation process will be conducted through an open peer review model, without anonymity between authors and reviewers.
In all cases, the journal keeps authors informed in a timely manner about the status of their manuscript and provides them with the review reports and comments received.
• Third Stage: Communication of Review Reports and Author Revisions
Once the review reports have been received, they are sent to the authors along with the corresponding comments and recommendations. If the manuscript is deemed publishable with revisions, the authors must submit a revised version addressing the comments received. The usual timeframe for this stage is two to four weeks, depending on the complexity and extent of the requested changes.
• Fourth Stage: Final Editorial Decision
After reviewing the revised version, the editorial team makes the final decision regarding the acceptance of the manuscript.
• Fifth Stage: Agreement Signing and Publication
Prior to publication, authors must sign a Conflict of Interest Declaration and a Copyright Agreement, specifying the rights they retain and those granted to the journal. Detailed information can be found in the section entitled "Copyright Policy and Publication Conditions."
• Sixth Stage: Editorial Production
Once the manuscript has been accepted, the editorial production process begins, including copyediting, editing, and layout design.
• Seventh Stage: Online Publication
The article is published individually on the Applied website once the editorial process has been completed and is assigned to the corresponding semiannual issue.