NOTES for REFEREES / REVIEWERS
for Tourism Geographies

Dear Reviewers: 

When you agree to review a paper for Tourism Geographies, you will receive an email message with a link to the paper. Please keep that email so you can easily access the website to download the paper and submit your online review.

It is the policy of Tourism Geographies to provide an efficient and expeditious review of all submitted papers. We also recognize that most reviewers are busy professionals who have graciously volunteered their time and effort to serve as a referee for the journal. With these considerations in mind, referees are requested to return their evaluations within one month of receipt of the manuscript.  If this is not possible, then referees are requested to inform the manuscript's coordinating Editor (the person who invited you to do the review) as soon as possible. 

On the ScholarOne (mansucriptcentral.com) webpage, you will be asked to assess the paper using the scale shown here (right side). This scale is designed for "Regular Research" papers and should be adjusted for other types of papers. Tourism Geographies prefers that papers have at least a "4" in each area, although your final decision does not need to be tied to that. 

You should focus on providing constructive comments on all areas where you rated the paper lower than "4". Helpful comments for the author(s) are appreciated. In addition, in surveys of authors, among the top complaints that they have of paper reviewers is that they request too many changes. Please make clear to the authors which of your requests are essential and which are suggestions for consideration only.

Finally, please be respectful of the authors. All authors put their best efforts into the papers they submit, although those efforts may fall short of what is acceptable for publication. I such situations, please think of yourself as a mentor offering advise on how the author can improve on their work, whether or not it is accepted for publication in Tourism Geographies.

ADDITIONAL REVIEWER RESOURCES
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TYPES OF PAPERS

Tourism Geographies publishes four types of papers:
  1. Research Papers are traditional research papers in which authors seek to answer a theoretical or methodological problem statement that is grounded is social science theory and based on a conceptual framework. The answer to the problem is often grounded in case study field work or other data collection, but the focus is primarily on how the case study answers the theoretical problem statement. The results should offer a well-defined contribution to advancing social science theory. 
  2. Research Frontier Papers are opinion and review papers in which authors present discussions that contribute to debates in the application of social science and geographical theory and ideas to tourism. The discussion may be based in some research findings, but the focus is more on the theory and ideas, with the research findings playing a minor or secondary role. Papers that review the past and current state of the literature on a tourism concept, technique or phenomenon are also included in this category. The reference may be selective or comprehensive depending on the paper's aims. 
  3. Tourism Places Papers are high quality case study papers that are critical in nature and provide an in-depth understanding of tourism phenomena in a particular place or region, or of a particular type of tourism. The quality of analysis and insight are the primary criterion for peer review, rather than contributions to theory.  A critical social science perspective is required and authors should be well versed in critical tourism studies. (Also see the Tourism Places information page).
  4. Commentary Papers are often relatively short papers (up to 5000 words) where content is dependent on the opinion and interpretation of the author(s). Journalistic type papers that present a distinct viewpoint on a case study might also fall into this category. The paper should also contribute to scholarly knowledge and contemporary debates for an international audience.

The paper you received should indicate which type of article it is currently being considered as. The questions above were written for "Regular Research" papers. Please adjust your evaluation based on the type of paper that you are reviewing. You may recommend that this designation be change for future revisions of the paper you are reviewing.
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On behalf of the Editors of Tourism Geographies, and authors who have submitted their work for review by our journal, I want to thank you for the thoughtful attention and service that you provide us.

Alan Lew
Editor-in-Chief, Tourism Geographies