Organizer Instructions: SAE Technical Paper Review System

Instructions for Session Organizers:
Congratulations, you have reached the peer review stage of organizing an SAE session. The judgment basis rating and scoring are important in determining if a paper should be published by SAE. Please note: each paper offer must be scored by at least three reviewers (the organizer can be included in the 3-5 reviews, but cannot review his/her own paper). These scores are used in determining inclusion in SAE International's Journals, award programs and quality measures for the SAE Engineering Meetings Board.

  1. At this point you should already have determined which abstracts you wish to consider for inclusion in your session and contacted each primary author to invite the draft manuscript. If not, please refer to the Organizer Resource area (Receiving/Soliciting Abstracts) or contact your SAE staff representative to complete this step.

  2. Once you receive the draft manuscript from the author, choose 3-5 well-qualified reviewers to evaluate the paper's technical merit and content. At no time should the reviewers' identities be revealed to an author.

  3. The judgment basis rating and scoring of draft manuscripts should be completed using the online evaluation process. If a reviewer does not have access to the internet, please contact your SAE staff representative for assistance. Once you have chosen the reviewers for a paper, forward the draft manuscript to each reviewer along with
    • the paper offer number
    • instructions for accessing the system
      • Go to the meeting's home page (http://www.sae.org/events/, click on "Ground Vehicle" or "Aerospace," then click on the meeting name); then click on "Paper Review System under "Registration & Resources."
      • Log in using the SAE user id and password (Note: This is not the field for the meeting-specific password, which will be required on the following screen. Each user has his/her own user ID and password for the SAE site; first-time users will be prompted to create an ID and password.)
      • On the next screen, enter the meeting-specific password provided by the SAE staff representative and the paper offer number.

    A sample letter for your use can be found in the Organizer Resource area (Sample Organizer Letter to Reviewers).

  4. You can view your session's Paper Evaluation Reports containing the judgment basis ratings, scores, and comments for each manuscript you have distributed for review at any time by going to your meeting's home page, clicking on "Author/Organizer Resources," and selecting "Paper Review Report" under Organizer Resources. You will be prompted to log in to the SAE website, where you can view the report(s) showing the review activity for each of the papers in your session(s). This information is for your use in determining the review status and working with authors to improve their manuscripts. Again, never reveal the identities of reviewers to an author. This information will also assist you in making a determination to approve or disapprove a paper for publication. Remember, SAE will not publish a paper without written approval from the session organizer.

  5. Upon reviewing the report, you will determine the course of action for each paper offer. You are to notify authors of approval, disapproval or any modifications required to improve the manuscript. Please note: If a reviewer has rated the manuscript, 'Approved if modified', you must send the revised manuscript back to the reviewer for final scoring. Each paper offer in your session must have at least three sets of scores from reviewers.

  6. Once you have collected enough judgment basis ratings (at least three) and scores (at least two "Approved") to make a determination for a particular paper offer, notify the author and send your completed Organizer Approval Form to SAE Staff. If you are rejecting a paper offer, you must include the rationale.
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