Publishing the results of one’s research is an integral part of the scientific process, yet scholarly journals are often seen as black boxes by researchers. What happens to a paper after it is submitted? Who is deciding on its fate? What is the role of the journal editor and the editorial office? How does the peer-review process work, and are its core principles still relevant in today’s changing publishing landscape?

In this talk I will discuss these questions in an attempt to de-mystify the peer review process from an editor's perspective, and cover the whats, the hows and the whys of peer review.