• Conformity of the submitted manuscript to the submission instructions is examined upon submission. If a manuscript does not conform to the instructions, the editorial board will ask the authors to resubmit the manuscript.
• Following the submission of a manuscript that conforms to the submission instructions, the editorial secretary reviews the topic of the manuscript and assigns it to an associate editor expert in the corresponding field. Based on the review results, the associate editor decides whether manuscripts will be able to proceed to the external review process or be rejected.
• The associate editor specializing in the field designates two reviewers for primary review of the manuscript. Review of a manuscript may be requested from reviewers specializing in the area in the list of the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity, reviewers recommended by the authors, or external experts in the area. We do not release reviewers’ identities to authors, as the policy of the journal is double-blind peer review.
• If changes are needed, it is recommended that authors should revise and amend the manuscripts. Authors of a revised manuscript must describe on a line-by-line basis how the manuscript was revised according to the instructions of the reviewers. Revisions must be received within two months from the date of the letter from the editorial board indicating that a revised manuscript would be considered for publication. If the revised manuscript is not returned within this period, the board will assume that the author has decided not to pursue publication. Based on the review results and revisions, the associate editor finally determines whether manuscripts are acceptable.
• If the review process is delayed for more than two weeks, the status of the manuscript review may be checked by text message, e-mail, or telephone call.
• Regarding acceptance policy, a manuscript that is “accepted” by both reviewers during the final review will be published. A decision of “rejection” is made if both reviewers reject the publication of the manuscript during the final review.
• If one of the reviewers rejects the manuscript during the primary review, the associate editor assigns a third reviewer to perform another primary review.
• If both of the initial reviewers or two of the three initial reviewers reject the manuscript during the first review, the associate editor transfers the final decision regarding acceptance of the manuscript to the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief will then make the final decision at the editorial board meeting.
• If two of the three reviewers accept and one of them rejects the manuscript during the final review, the associate editor will transfer the final decision regarding acceptance of the manuscript to the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief will then make the final decision at the editorial board meeting.
• Review of the statistical aspects of a manuscript is requested from a statistical review consultant and is reflected in the opinion of the reviewers.
• Review of an English language manuscript is requested from an English language review consultant during the primary review and is reflected in the final opinion. The editorial board may request the authors to oversee the final revision of English grammar in conjunction with an expert.
• At the editorial board meeting, which is held a month prior to the publication of each issue, the final list of articles to be published in the issue is determined from the articles currently accepted.
• Both accepted and rejected articles should be considered at the editorial board meeting for each issue.
• Articles receiving final approval for publication are assigned to an English language consultant for review.

Author Appeals
As the decision to reject a manuscript for publication will often involve the Editor’s judgment of priority/ importance, the authors are strongly advised to submit to another journal after getting a rejection. Authors may appeal a rejection by sending an e-mail to the Editorial Office of the journal. The appeal must provide a detailed justification, including point-by-point responses to the reviewers' and/or Editor's comments. The manuscript and related information (including the identities of the referees) will be forwarded to the Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor, or Editorial Board member. A reject decision after the appeal process is final and cannot be reversed. Manuscripts cannot be submitted elsewhere while an appeal is being considered.