Explorations in Linguistic Review
Exploring the Frontiers, Serving the Scholarly Community

Peer Review

Become an ELR Reviewer

Join an international scholarly community supporting careful, constructive, and theoretically informed peer review in linguistics.

Recruitment: International Review model: Double-anonymous Platform: Janeway · One-click Review supported
ELR welcomes linguists worldwide who are willing to contribute disciplinary expertise, responsible peer review, constructive theoretical discussion, and scholarly service.

Reviewers are selected according to the subject matter and needs of individual manuscripts. Registration or an expression of interest does not automatically result in a review assignment.

Expertise Reviews should be grounded in genuine familiarity with the linguistic question, evidence, or theoretical framework.
Constructive criticism Review should improve scholarly reasoning and support responsible editorial decision-making.
Academic responsibility Confidentiality, fairness, independence, and respect for unpublished scholarship are essential.
01

Who We Welcome

ELR welcomes expressions of interest from linguists whose research expertise is relevant to the journal's scope and who are prepared to provide fair, constructive, and academically substantive peer review.

Reviewers may be established scholars, early-career researchers, postdoctoral researchers, or advanced doctoral researchers with demonstrable expertise in the subject area concerned.

Selection as a reviewer is based on relevant academic expertise and the needs of an individual manuscript. Registration or expression of interest does not create an automatic entitlement to receive review assignments.

02

Areas of Expertise

ELR is particularly interested in expanding its international reviewer network across theoretical, formal, historical, and empirically informed areas of linguistic research.

Syntax
Semantics
Phonetics & Phonology
Morphology
Syntax–Semantics Interface
Historical Linguistics
Chinese Linguistics
Excavated Texts & Historical Chinese
Generative Linguistics
Contemporary Linguistic Theory
03

Reviewer Responsibilities

A reviewer is expected to evaluate a manuscript on its scholarly merits rather than on whether the reviewer personally adopts the same theoretical framework or analytical assumptions.

  • Provide an independent and academically reasoned assessment.
  • Identify significant strengths as well as substantive problems.
  • Distinguish theoretical disagreement from demonstrable error.
  • Comment on the adequacy of evidence, analysis, argumentation, and engagement with relevant scholarship.
  • Provide constructive recommendations where revision could improve the work.
  • Disclose conflicts of interest that could compromise independent review.
  • Treat unpublished manuscripts and editorial materials as confidential.
04

How Reviewing Works at ELR

Reviewers are normally selected and invited by the Co-Editors-in-Chief and the relevant Subject Editor. At least two external scholars normally participate in the evaluation of manuscripts selected for peer review.

  1. Invitation A reviewer receives an invitation identifying the manuscript topic, review deadline, and relevant editorial information.
  2. Accept or Decline The invited scholar confirms whether the review can be completed independently and within the requested time.
  3. Review The reviewer reads the anonymous manuscript and provides a scholarly report and editorial recommendation.
  4. Editorial Assessment Reviewer reports are considered by the Subject Editor and Co-Editors-in-Chief as part of the academic decision-making process.
  5. Completion The reviewer report becomes part of the confidential editorial record associated with the manuscript.
05

Confidentiality and Research Integrity

Reviewer access to an unpublished manuscript is granted solely for the purpose of scholarly evaluation. Unpublished arguments, data, analyses, examples, or other materials must not be appropriated or used without permission.

Reviewers must not upload confidential manuscripts, review reports, or protected editorial correspondence to external AI systems or other services where doing so could compromise confidentiality, privacy, copyright, or the integrity of peer review.

For the journal's wider standards, see Ethics and Disclosures .

06

Reviewer Service and the Editorial and Academic Committee

ELR is also expanding its Editorial and Academic Committee as the journal develops internationally.

Thoughtful and reliable reviewer service is one important way through which ELR can become familiar with a scholar's academic expertise, editorial judgment, and contribution to the scholarly community.

Sustained service may therefore be taken into account when future members of the Editorial and Academic Committee are considered.

Reviewer service does not, however, automatically confer committee membership. Committee appointments remain subject to the journal's governance and appointment procedures.

07

Express Your Interest

Linguists interested in joining the ELR reviewer community are invited to provide a concise academic profile so that the editorial team can identify appropriate areas of expertise.

Reviewer Application

Tell us about your research expertise.

Please provide the following information when expressing your interest:

Name and affiliation Your current academic or research affiliation.
Research expertise Approximately three to five areas in which you would be comfortable reviewing manuscripts.
ORCID Your ORCID iD, where available.
Academic profile An institutional profile, academic website, or other scholarly profile where available.

Reviewer enquiries may also be sent directly to [email protected] .

ELR Reviewer Community

Interested in contributing to peer review?

Create an ELR account and provide your research interests, or contact the Editorial Office with your name, affiliation, research expertise, ORCID iD where available, and academic profile.