The editorial office checks administrative completeness under Submission Requirements. The Editor-in-Chief or an assigned scholarly editor then assesses scope, potential contribution, and suitability for external review.

The Managing Editor coordinates administration and communicates authorised decisions. Scholarly assessment or decision authority requires a separate explicit assignment under Editorial Roles.

A manuscript may be returned for administrative corrections or rejected without external review. Integrity screening follows the relevant originality and publication ethics policies and may occur at any stage when justified.

The decision editor considers the manuscript, the adequacy and reasoning of reviewer reports, the handling editor’s recommendation, and author responses where available. The required review coverage is specified in Review Model.

Conflicting reports may lead to further editorial analysis or additional independent review. Unusable or compromised reports do not count as adequate assessment. Additional reviews must address an identified need, rather than be sought merely to obtain a preferred recommendation.

Accept

The manuscript meets scholarly requirements and proceeds to production and technical checks.

Minor Revision

Limited changes are needed before a further decision.

Major Revision

Substantial changes are required and may need further external assessment.

Resubmit for Review

Extensive redevelopment is invited. The decision letter specifies whether to use the existing submission or create a new record. This is not acceptance.

Reject

The manuscript is not accepted. The decision letter explains the principal grounds and whether any future reconsideration is invited.

Decisions are recorded in the editorial workflow and communicated through official journal correspondence. Relevant comments and revision instructions accompany the decision, subject to confidentiality safeguards. Acceptance notifications are issued by official email; a separate PDF acceptance letter is not required.

Athena does not guarantee acceptance or a fixed review period. Timing depends on reviewer availability, manuscript complexity, and revision rounds. Substantial delays are communicated with available explanations and next steps; authors may request withdrawal.

Payment or waiver status does not determine acceptance. Fees follow the Author Fees policy. Serious new concerns identified after acceptance may require a documented pause and appropriate assessment; changes to published articles follow the correction and integrity policies.