The discipline and the profession of architecture continue to change rapidly, at once reaching out to other discrete areas of knowledge while searching for a unifying base. In response to this, at the October 2006 JAE meeting, the Editorial Board agreed to change the two general categories under which most manuscripts are submitted. The designation "Scholarship of Design" replaces what JAE previously termed “Scholarly Articles." "Design as Scholarship" replaces what was previously termed "Design Articles." The reasons for this change are several. Foremost, it reflects the Editorial Board's desire to acknowledge that scholarship and inquiry are not limited to the long-standing rigors of research our discipline inherited from Art and Architectural History. Moreover, by marking one group of articles as "scholarly," and the other not, sends precisely the wrong message at precisely the wrong time in our discipline's trajectory.

Manuscripts submitted to JAE must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. All manuscripts must be the author's original work and must not have been published elsewhere, in whole or in part. Authors are limited to submitting a single manuscript (or design) for each theme issue. Authors may simultaneously submit separate manuscripts as a General Article, a theme issue, and an Op Arch submission. 

All manuscripts to be considered for publication are to be sent to the managing editor via the submission website. When an article has been received, its receipt will be acknowledged within one week via email only from the managing editor to the author. 

Once the article has been accepted by the editor, it is sent to two referees judged by the editor to be qualified to comment cogently on the subject matter of the article. Ideally, each of the referees returns a written report to the editor within three months of receipt of the article. 

Each of the referees is asked to consider and address the following points in making an evaluation of the article:

• Should this article be considered for publication in JAE, and, if so, to what degree? Which aspects of it are particularly relevant? Might this article be more appropriately published as an "Op Arch" item?

• As a work of scholarship, does the author use, acknowledge, and document his or her sources well? Are the sources primary to the particular subject the author is investigating?

• Comment on the quality, clarity, and force of the author's analyses and arguments. Please be specific in your observations and cite examples to reinforce your criticisms where necessary. 

• Suggest areas for development. Does this article have strength or potential as a critical evaluation of its subject? If so, please advise the executive editor and the author on how to proceed.

• If you do not now think this article is publishable in JAE, do you believe it could become so if amendments and revisions are made? 

• If necessary, comment on the mechanics of the author's writing: grammar, style, usage, etc. Although specific editing of these is not necessary at this time, it is important to know the extent to which these might influence or impede one's understanding of the article's content. 

• State if you could work on subsequent reviews of this article. Would you be willing to establish a direct connection with the author on further reviews, and if so, may the executive editor give your name and address to the author so that contact may be made. 

Virtually all articles that are accepted as publishable in JAE require some amount of rewriting. In cases where the two referees are split on the recommendations between acceptance and rejection, the executive editor will make the final decision.

When the Executive Editor receives all peer reviews, he/she forwards them to the author with a notice of the status of the manuscript (Accept/Conditional Accept/Re-submit/Reject). If the paper is not accepted, the Executive Editor will explain the reasons for rejection.

For all other manuscript submissions (Accept/Conditional Accept/Re-submit), the Executive Editor will outline the extent and nature of rewriting or other alterations required, including specific directions for development in addition to those included in the peer-review reports. In the case of Theme Issues, much of the directions for development be generated by the Theme Editors.

Once a manuscript/design is accepted for publication, authors/designers are sent a production schedule for the issue in which their work will appear and specific guidelines for the preparation of the final manuscript and graphic material. However, whether a manuscript/design is accepted as a "General Article/Design" or as part of a "theme issue," all acceptances are provisional pending the final review and approval by the Executive Editor. This "provisional" status remains unchanged until the manuscript or design uploading to Blackwell for publication.

Once the author has completed the revision of the paper and put it in the standard JAE format for article submission, it is returned to the executive editor. The editor will then decide whether to approve the article for publication or send it back to one or both of the original reviewers for their follow-up evaluation and approval. 

Articles returned with acceptance will be subject to the full JAE review process again. If it is believed that the paper needs more work before publication, it will be returned to the author with referees' comments and editor's letter.

Once a paper has been approved for publication, it will be edited by the editor and an editorial board member. When the editing has been completed, the corrected manuscript will be sent for typesetting. Proofs of the typeset, edited version of the article will be returned to the author for inspection and approval. Authors must return their corrected proofs within two days of their receipt to the managing editor. The executive editor reserves the right to make final edits as needed.

Except for the protection of referees' and authors' identities, JAE wishes to keep its process as open and visible as possible. Suggestions and criticisms are encouraged and welcomed.