The journal has two methods of obtaining content. We regularly put together special issues in which we target authors whose work we want to publish. These issues may be the outcome of conferences or the results of calls for papers around a specific theme.
We also receive unsolicited submissions. In the case of the latter, there is a preliminary weeding out of papers that the Managing Editor, in consultation with the relevant academic editors, considers to be unsuitable for publication in SES either because of the area under examination or basic scholarly standards not being met.
All remaining papers are put through a double blind peer review process involving two referees who are usually established scholars in the relevant area. Academic editors are consulted to identify suitable referees. Very occasionally only one referee may be consulted in cases where it is difficult to obtain a review within a reasonable period and sometimes three referees may be consulted particularly in cases where there is disagreement between the first two referees. The review process takes anywhere between two and six months but can occasionally take up to a year.
Contributors who wish to submit articles are asked to follow SES's submission guidelines in preparing their articles. The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition) is the reference book for SES articles.