Guidelines for Reviewers

GUIDELINES FOR REVIEWERS – CROATIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL (CVJ)

REVIEWER RESPONSIBILITIES

Before accepting an invitation to review, consider whether the manuscript is within your area of expertise, whether you have any potential conflicts of interest, and whether you have sufficient time to complete the review by the deadline. Respond promptly to the invitation, even if declining. If you cannot provide an assessment, notify the Editorial Office and, if possible, suggest an alternative reviewer.

Reviewers must treat the manuscript as confidential and must not use its data for their own research. Communication with the authors is not allowed.

EVALUATION OF MANUSCRIPTS

Manuscripts should be assessed critically but constructively. Reviewers should evaluate:

  • originality and significance of the research
  • study design and methodology
  • presentation and clarity of results
  • strength and validity of conclusions
  • statistical validity and reproducibility of methods
  • adherence to ethical standards for animal research and humane procedures
  • transparency and completeness of reporting, including compliance with relevant international guidelines (ARRIVE, CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, as applicable)
  • presence of a clear Data Availability Statement (DAS)
  • relevance and currency of references, ensuring that key literature in the field is cited

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

The Croatian Veterinary Journal uses a double-blind review system, meaning that reviewers do not know the names of the authors, and authors do not know the names of the reviewers. Manuscripts subject to peer review are evaluated by at least two experts, but the final decision on publication and article categorization is made by the Editorial Office.

Although the journal uses a double-blind review system, authors may identify individuals with whom they have a conflict of interest and who should therefore not be invited as reviewers. Such requests must be appropriately justified.

EDITORIAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Reviewers are asked to recommend one of the following:

  • Accept in present form
  • Accept after minor revision (corrections to minor methodological errors and text editing)
  • Reconsider after major revision (substantial revision to text or experimental methods needed)
  • Reject (article has serious flaws; additional experiments needed, research not conducted correctly, ethical/methodological concerns that cannot be resolved by revision)

MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES

  • Original scientific article: contains unpublished results of original research, presented so that results, analyses, and conclusions can be verified.
  • Review article: provides a comprehensive overview of a field or topic with critical evaluation.
  • Professional article: presents knowledge relevant to practice but does not contain original research.
  • Case report: describes a relevant case that may provide novel insights or lessons.

SUBMISSION OF REVIEWS

From September 1, 2025, all reviews must be submitted exclusively through the Open Journal System: https://ojs.srce.hr/index.php/croatian-veterinary-journal/about/submissions

The Editor-in-Chief’s e-mail address (habrun@veinst.hr) should be used only for technical issues with the OJS platform. These are only guidelines; reviewers must submit the completed review form through the system, after which the Editorial Office will decide on the continuation of the editorial process.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF REVIEWERS

Although the journal does not provide financial compensation for reviews, we highly value the contributions of our reviewers. Each reviewer will receive a formal certificate of participation. Outstanding reviewers will be recognized annually on the journal’s website or in a dedicated section of the journal and may be considered for membership on the Editorial Board. This acknowledgment supports academic CVs, grant applications, and professional development. Reviewers’ constructive feedback directly contributes to the quality, credibility, and impact of published research.