Information for Reviewers

If you are interested in reviewing for Press Start, please register and fill out your research interest keywords. Note that because this is a student journal, in order to review for us you must be a current student or within one year of having graduated. We also solicit reviewers through our friendly Facebook group, so please feel free to join us there as well.

Press Start's current review policy is "double-open," meaning that submissions are not anonymized before being passed to reviewers. Furthermore, authors will know the names of the reviewers looking at their submissions when they receive their reviews. We feel that this more transparent approach helps to encourage generosity, kindness, and community-building. Contributors may request a double-blinded review process if they prefer.

All submissions will be assigned to three student reviewers. Members of the Editorial Board might also be asked to review a submission. Reviewers are asked to complete reviews within four weeks. A member of the Editorial Board will compile a meta-review, based on the reviewers' comments, and make this available to the author(s). If the reviewer also comments or makes tracked changes directly in the submission document, the editor will share that with the author as well, and such extra effort is always much appreciated! Please take a look at our focus, scope, process, and policies and our submission guidelines to get a sense of what we are looking for. Please also read through our Guide for Reviewers and do not hesitate to reach out to the editor if you have any questions.

We seek to foster a community of generous and supportive scholars at Press Start, so reviewers are asked to be polite, courteous, kind, and constructive in their review comments, even if they are critical. Reviewers should seek to make the paper better and clearer, and find ways to help the author improve their writing, critical thinking, and research skills. If possible, please provide detailed information regarding improvements, if needed (e.g., rather than just saying that the literature review needs improvement, be specific about what literature the author should engage with). We highly recommend checking out Adrienne Shaw's article on how to be a kind and supportive peer reviewer, found here.

Our review form asks reviewers to consider the following criteria: 

Originality and quality: Is the paper sufficiently novel and interesting to warrant publication? Is the scope and detail of the paper appropriate? Does it contribute to our understanding of the topic?

Structure and presentation: Is the article well-written, structured, and reasoned? Is the structure appropriate? Is the article free of typographical and grammatical errors? Does the article adhere to the standards defined in the Press Start template? Are the conclusions sound and well-reasoned?

Previous scholarship: Does the author engage with current/relevant research in the field? If the article builds upon previous research, does it reference that work appropriately? Are there any important works that have been left out? Are the references accurate?

Thank you so much for your interest in reviewing and helping us make Press Start a welcoming, supportive, and rigorous space for student game studies research!