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Harrowell service

Editorial operations & peer review

Build an editorial office that is dependable for authors, reviewers and editors—and scaled to the needs of the journal.

The service in context

Practical support for a connected publishing operation.

Editorial operations are where a journal’s standards become visible in everyday experience. Harrowell establishes the people, workflows, communications and reporting that allow editors to make informed decisions while authors and reviewers receive timely, professional support.

Informal processes create delays, unclear ownership and inconsistent communication. A well-run editorial office combines editorial judgement with reliable coordination, transparent exception handling and useful operational insight.

What the service includes

The capabilities behind the service.

Every engagement is scoped around your journal’s needs. These are the core areas Harrowell can bring together in this service.

Submission intake and triage

Design initial checks, desk-review routes, status management and escalation so every submission has a clear next step.

Peer-review coordination

Support reviewer invitations, reminders, confidential communication and accurate review records.

Editor and board support

Provide guidance, meeting support and operational information so editors can focus on scholarly decisions.

Editorial assurance

Maintain workflows for conflicts, ethics queries, appeals, corrections and other matters requiring consistent handling.

Where we add depth

Designed around the realities of scholarly publishing.

Harrowell can take responsibility for a complete workstream or strengthen the part of an existing operation that needs more structure, capacity or specialist attention.

A dependable editorial office

Harrowell can provide defined operational capacity, from individual workflow support to a managed editorial office. We agree the handoffs between editors, journal staff and our team so contributors know who is responsible.

  • Submission administration and correspondence
  • Editor, author and reviewer support
  • Workload monitoring and backlog management

Peer review that respects participants

Review coordination is treated as a scholarly service, not merely a sequence of reminders. We help create appropriate communication, escalation and records that support considered editorial decisions.

  • Reviewer invitation and follow-up workflows
  • Decision-letter and communication templates
  • Turnaround and reviewer-activity reporting

Integrity and exception handling

Editorial teams need a documented way to handle concerns without disrupting routine work. We support process design and case administration for authorship, competing interests, appeals, corrections and post-publication issues.

  • Issue escalation routes
  • Case documentation and decision records
  • Policy-to-workflow alignment

How we work

A structured path from need to delivery.

The pace, scope and ownership are agreed around your journal. We make the work visible and give editorial, operational and organisational stakeholders a clear role throughout.

  1. Map the editorial journey, team roles and service expectations

  2. Configure workflows, templates, service levels and escalation routes

  3. Support implementation, training and contributor communication

  4. Review workload, turnaround, quality and recurring issues

What is agreed up front

A service with visible ownership.

Every engagement begins with an agreed scope, responsibilities, review rhythm and practical definition of delivery. This makes it clear what Harrowell is accountable for, where decisions sit and how the work connects to your wider publishing operation.

Editorial workflow map
Service-level and escalation framework
Communication templates and guidance
Operational reporting and review cadence

What this makes possible

The outcomes a stronger service model should create.

  • Clear ownership from submission to editorial decision
  • A more consistent experience for authors and reviewers
  • Better visibility for editors, boards and owners
  • Operations that actively support research integrity

A good fit when

Journals building an editorial office, teams facing backlog, organisations needing managed capacity, and editors who need dependable support without giving up scholarly control.

Harrowell can provide this as a focused project, an ongoing managed service or part of a wider publishing partnership. The scope is shaped around the journal’s current operation, priorities and development plans.

Discuss your requirements

Build a service model around the work your journal needs to do next.

Tell us about the journal, programme or operational challenge. We’ll help identify the right starting point and delivery model.

Start a conversation →