Peer Review Process

The Minnesota Journal of Business Law and Entrepreneurship is committed to maintaining high standards of scholarly excellence, integrity, and fairness in its publication process. All submitted manuscripts undergo a structured peer review designed to ensure quality, originality, and relevance.

Initial Editorial Screening

Upon submission, each manuscript is reviewed by the Journal’s editorial board to determine whether it falls within the Journal’s scope and meets basic scholarly and formatting requirements. Manuscripts that do not align with the Journal’s mission or submission guidelines may be declined at this stage.

Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are evaluated through a double-blind peer review process. Reviewers are selected based on subject-matter expertise and may include faculty advisors, legal scholars, practitioners, or senior editors. Neither the author nor the reviewers are informed of each other’s identities.

Reviewers assess submissions based on:

  • Originality and contribution to the field
  • Depth and accuracy of legal analysis
  • Relevance to business law and entrepreneurship
  • Clarity, organization, and quality of writing
  • Proper use of authority and citations

Editorial Decision

Following peer review, the editorial board considers the reviewers’ recommendations and makes one of the following decisions:

  • Accept for publication
  • Accept subject to revisions
  • Request revisions and resubmission
  • Decline

Authors are notified of the decision and, where applicable, provided with anonymized reviewer feedback.

Revision Process

Authors invited to revise their manuscripts are expected to address reviewer comments in a timely and substantive manner. Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers or evaluated by the editorial board for final approval.

Final Editing and Publication

Accepted manuscripts undergo comprehensive editorial review, including substantive editing, cite-checking, and proofreading. The Journal works collaboratively with authors throughout this process to ensure accuracy and clarity prior to publication.

Ethical Standards

The Journal adheres to recognized standards of academic integrity. Reviewers and editors are expected to disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when appropriate. All manuscripts are reviewed solely on their scholarly merit.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts and reviewer communications are treated as confidential throughout the review process.