Article categories and principles of peer review and publication

The two main categories of articles published in Mikael are peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed scholarly articles within the field of translation and interpreting studies. The publication criteria and review processes for them are as follows:

Peer-reviewed scholarly articles 

A peer-reviewed scholarly article in Mikael is either an original research article or a literature review that undergoes peer review by two independent and anonymous referees. Peer-reviewed scholarly articles in Mikael meet the criteria for either Category A1 or A2 in the Finnish classification of scientific publications formulated by the Ministry of Education. 

An original research article must present previously unpublished results of the authors’ empirical or theoretical research within translation and interpreting studies. The research setting and results constitute a coherent whole. The theoretical framework, previous research, material, method, results and conclusions must be documented in accordance with scholarly principles and with reference to previous research.

Manuscripts intended for peer review are reviewed anonymously. The authors are expected to anonymise their manuscripts, and the editors ensure the anonymity of the manuscripts before they are sent out to be peer-reviewed by two experts on the subject of the manuscript. The referees are not informed of the author’s identity, nor will the author learn the identities of the referees.

The editors forward the referees’ comments to the author and recommend further revisions when necessary. The authors are expected to take both the referees’ and the editors’ comments into consideration. If revising the manuscript along the lines recommended by the referees and/or the editors is not feasible or relevant, the authors should explain and justify this when sending the revised manuscript to the editors. The editors may require further revisions before the manuscript can be published, or reject the revised manuscript if it fails to meet the criteria for a peer-reviewed scholarly article.

Non-peer-reviewed scholarly articles

A non-peer-reviewed scholarly article in Mikael is accepted for publication by the editors. The article can be a discussion article, conference report, book review, obituary or the lectio praecursoria presentation given by a doctoral candidate at the beginning of their doctoral defence. All non-peer-reviewed scholarly articles are classified into Category B1 in the Finnish classification of scientific publications formulated by the Ministry of Education.

Non-peer-reviewed scholarly articles in Mikael are commented on by the editors who will consult the editorial advisory board when necessary. The authors are to take the editors’ comments into consideration and justify their decisions in cases where revising the manuscript along the lines recommended by the editors is not feasible or relevant.