For Peer Reviewers

Reviewers receive manuscripts for peer review through Open Journal Systems available on the website of the Journal at submission.vestnikmgsu.ru. As a rule, the Editorial office selects peer reviewers from the list of members of the Editorial Council, other distinguished Russian or foreign researchers, including contributing authors of our Journal.  Having extended his/her consent to review a manuscript, the reviewer gets registered in Open Journal Systems and receives the manuscripts for its review.  Further, the reviewer follows the instructions available at: submission.vestnikmgsu.ru.

The editorial staff has developed a special application form for review rez_template eng (.doc) / rez_template eng (.pdf) . We recommend potential reviewers to fill it, sign, scan and upload it to the online system.

The Editorial office encourages reviewers engaged in the consideration of submitted manuscripts to adhere to the Ethical Guidelines of the Editorial Policy of MGSU as the Publisher of Scientific Journals, Committee for Ethics of Research Publications, Moscow, Russia), the principles specified in COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers, developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) , and the guidelines for publication of manuscripts accepted by Elsevier journals.
We encourage reputable Russian and international researchers specializing in the civil engineering/architecture-related research within the scope of coverage of our Journal to participate in the expert appraisal, or review, of manuscripts submitted for publication in our Journal.  Contact the Editorial office by email, or get registered with Open Journal Systems for the Executive Editor to contact you ASAP.
Peer Review of Papers Submitted to Vestnik MGSU Scientific Journal

1. Any manuscripts received by the Editorial office are to be reviewed by professionals in respective areas of knowledge.  Manuscripts may be accompanied by letters of review issued by the professionals in the area of knowledge covered by the manuscript, although the availability of the review cannot cancel the peer review procedure implemented by the Editorial office in the following manner.
2. The Executive Secretary of the Editorial Board checks the incoming manuscript for its compliance with the areas of knowledge covered by the Journal, its formatting requirements, and assesses the exhaustiveness of the accompanying letter of review. Thereafter, the Executive Secretary submits the manuscript for initial review to a Deputy Editor-in-Chief responsible for the assessment of the research value of manuscripts. Further, it may be forwarded for a review to another Editorial Board member or an independent reviewer – a specialist, a holder of a degree of a doctor or a candidate of sciences whose specialization is closest to the area covered in the manuscript.
3. The manuscript review deadline is set by the Executive Editor of the Journal on a case-by-case basis for the paper to be published as promptly as possible.
4. The following issues are to be covered in the letter of review:
   1. compliance of the manuscript with the area of coverage specified in the title;
   2. compliance of the manuscript with the most recent advancements in theoretical and practical architecture and construction-related sciences,
   3. intelligibility of the manuscript from the readers’ viewpoint in terms of its language, style, structure, visual presentation of tables, graphs, figures and formulas,
   4. expediency of the paper publication for the reason of its novelty,
   5. compliance of the information presentation in the manuscript with the latest requirements of the methodology of civil engineering sciences and architecture; feasibility of its conclusions in the domestic practice,
   6. drawbacks to be corrected, corrections and revisions to be made by the author,
   7. statement of recommendation for the manuscript publication in Vestnik MGSU upon completion of its revision process, or statement of failure to recommend the paper for publication.
5. All reviews are to be certified in pursuance of the procedure of the reviewer’s employer.
6. Single blind peer review.
7. If the letter of review has any recommendations to correct and revise the paper, the remarks made by the reviewer will be forwarded by the Editorial office to the author using Open Journal Systems, for the author to consider them in the course of drafting the further version of the manuscript or to provide a substantiated refutation of the reviewer’s arguments (in full or in part). A revised paper is to be addressed for another review (using Open Journal Systems).
8. Any paper not recommended by the reviewer for publication cannot be accepted for repetitive consideration. A negative opinion is to be forwarded to the author by electronic mail (using Open Journal Systems).
9. A positive opinion cannot serve as the argument sufficient for the manuscript to be published in the Journal. Final decision concerning the expediency of the paper publication is made by the Editorial Board of Vestnik MGSU.
10. The author is notified about the acceptance of his/her manuscript for publication by electronic mail (using Open Journal Systems) upon the issuance of the positive decision by the Editorial Board of Vestnik MGSU with publication dates to be specified in the email alert.
11. Original letters of review are deposited in the office of the Editorial Board of Vestnik MGSU for a period equal to or exceeding 5 years.