Criteria for Evaluation                                   Click to see Peer Review Questionnaire

The criteria for evaluating material submitted to the Journal, in no particular order, include:

1. Its topical relevance to current agriculture and food system development practice, or to a call for papers on a special topic.
2. The quality of the writing, especially its clarity, logic, professional tone, and appropriateness to the audience of applied researchers and practitioners.
3. The appropriateness and execution of the applied research methodology used.
4. The value of the insights gained from the paper in terms of its contribution to the literature.

As an applied journal, the Journal has a wider audience than a strictly academic journal would. Please keep this in mind in your writing style, and lean toward writing for an educated but not necessarily academic reader. Define terms and spell out abbreviations that may not be familiar to all readers.

Reviewers are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript:

• Is original
• Makes clear links into the community development aspects of agriculture and food systems
• Is methodologically sound
• Follows ethical guidelines
• Has results that are clearly presented and support the conclusions
• Correctly references previous relevant work

Reviewers are not expected to correct or copyedit manuscripts. Language correction is not part of the peer review process.