Book peer review policy

This policy applies to all scholarly books (monographs, edited volumes and scholarly guides) published by Bliss Global under the Global Confluence Review (GCR) imprint. Every book is peer reviewed before publication.

Type of review

• Independent and external: each book is reviewed by at least two subject experts who are not part of the GCR or Bliss Global editorial staff.
• Single-anonymous:reviewers know the identity of the author(s), but reviewers' identities are not disclosed to authors.
• Whole manuscript: reviewers assess the complete manuscript, not only a proposal or sample chapter.
• Edited volumes: the volume as a whole and every chapter are reviewed; chapters written by the volume editors are reviewed by an external reviewer who is not one of the editors.

Review process

1. Submission. The author or editor sends a book proposal, the full manuscript and a plagiarism / AI report (see how to submit a book).
2. Editorial screening. The Book Review Editor checks scope, scholarly quality, completeness, originality and research ethics, in line with the plagiarism, similarity and AI policy. Manuscripts that are out of scope or not ready for review may be declined at this stage.
3. External peer review. The Book Review Editor invites at least two independent subject experts. Reviewers assess originality, contribution to the field, methods and evidence, use of sources, structure and clarity, and suitability for the intended readership, and recommend: accept, minor revision, major revision or reject.
4. Decision.The Book Review Editor makes the decision based on the reviewers' reports. Authors receive the reports with reviewers' identities removed. If reviewers disagree strongly, an additional external reviewer may be invited.
5. Revision. Authors revise and explain how each comment was addressed. Revised manuscripts may be returned to the reviewers.
6. Acceptance and production. After acceptance, the book is copy-edited and typeset, given its own ISBN, and published open access on this website.

Reviewers

• Reviewers are chosen for their subject expertise and publication record.
• Reviewers must declare any conflict of interest (for example, the same institution, recent collaboration, or a personal or financial relationship with the author) and decline the review if a conflict exists.
• Manuscripts under review are confidential and may not be shared or used by reviewers.

Books by editors and staff

When a book is written or edited by a member of the GCR editorial team or Bliss Global staff, that person takes no part in handling it. Another editor manages the submission, and the same independent external review applies.

Fees and editorial independence

Any publication fee is agreed in writing before publication and is payable only after acceptance. Fees never influence peer review or editorial decisions. Need-based fee waivers are available (see publication fees and fee waivers).

Appeals, corrections and ethics

Authors may appeal a decision by writing to the editorial office with their reasons. Corrections and retractions follow the journal's corrections, retractions and withdrawal policy and publication ethics.