Pennsylvania State University Press

Peer review procedure

As a member of the Association of University Presses, the Pennsylvania State University Press adheres to the AUP’s mission of publishing informed and engaged peer-reviewed scholarship held to the highest standards.

All scholarly books published under The Pennsylvania State University Press imprint are subject to a rigorous review process, which includes in-house assessment by the acquiring editor specializing in the area, external peer review by two or more scholars in the field, followed by formal review by the PSU Press faculty Editorial Committee.

The external readers are chosen based their understanding of the specific subject and the broader disciplinary questions the book’s author is engaging.

Peer reviewers provide detailed, formal reports assessing the material according the following standards:

• The project’s fit within the scholarly conversation.
• Effective use of primary sources and secondary literature and engagement with scholarship
• coming from different perspectives.
• Originality of the material, the author’s approach to it, and its potential impact on the
• discourse.
• Clear organization and presentation of the central argument(s).