VALA2016 Reviewing

Call for Reviewers

In an international EOI (expression of interest) process, VALA2016 is seeking skilled people interested in taking on the important role of independent reviewer for the VALA2016 conference papers that are due to be submitted by 21 August 2015. All papers (except for keynote speakers and invited papers) published in VALA conference proceedings are peer-reviewed in accordance with HERDC guidelines. VALA conference papers are typically of 5,000-6,000 words.

Review Timeline:-

The full paper review process will get underway in early September for completion by late November, as follows:-

  • 7 September – 2 October: Papers distributed to at least 2 reviewers; read, rate and comment on 2-3 papers in accordance with guidelines provided. Papers distributed via email, and reviewers asked to complete the task within 3 weeks of receiving the papers.
  • October: Reviews consolidated by VALA Editor; reviews combined anonymously and returned to authors for revision where required and return within 3 weeks.
  • 11-20 November: Revised papers redistributed to original reviewers; read, rate and comment within 2 weeks of receiving revised paper/s.
  • Late-November-Early December: Peer-review process complete.

Whilst it is possible that there may be delays with particular papers, this timeline will be adhered to in most cases; any unavoidable delays will be advised and negotiated in advance wherever possible.

VALA’s aim is to distribute papers evenly amongst reviewers, and according to each reviewer’s areas of skill.

How to Register your Interest:

If you are interested in being considered for the review panel, we would like you to do the following:-

  • Consider the Review Timeline above, and ensure that you are available to participate in the review process between early September and late November 2015.
  • Click HERE to access the Reviewing Skills Form and complete all sections, to help with gathering information about your skills (this should take around 5 minutes). Even if you have reviewed for VALA before, we ask that you please complete this task; skill areas and contact details change and it is key to a successful outcome that we hold your current details.
  • Complete the online process ASAP and no later than Monday 3 August 2015.

Please note that this is an EOI process, with no guarantee that we will allocate papers to all those who apply; every effort will be made to achieve best match between papers and reviewers, equity of workload and to avoid potential conflict of interest.

Reviewer Instructions:

Guidelines will be provided to reviewers upon allocation of papers, and will also be available on the VALA2016 Website.

Some key aspects of the reviewer role are to:-

  • Provide valuable feedback that will guide authors to improve the quality of their final paper
  • Support the development of leading edge papers that will generate discussion and debate
  • Assess and rate papers on the basis of their content, relevance and presentation

Reviewer Identity:

Please note that reviewer anonymity to the authors will be maintained throughout the review process.

Enquiries can be directed to the VALA Secretariat vala@vala.org.au or phone 61 03 9844 2933.

The Call for Reviewers EOI closes 3 August 2015.