The relevant Section Editor applies the Scope Boundary Statement's non-negotiable test: whether the manuscript reports a defined community engagement with an identifiable population, a specified intervention, and a measured pre- and post-intervention outcome. Manuscripts failing this test are declined without external review.

Referees evaluate submissions specifically for measured community impact, assessing: the adequacy of the reported baseline; the specificity and replicability of the intervention or knowledge-transfer activity; the rigor of the pre/post evaluation design; and the credibility of the capacity-retention or sustainability mechanism described. Technical quality within the originating discipline is assessed, but is secondary to the strength of the demonstrated community outcome.

The Section Editor synthesizes the reviewer reports and issues a decision — accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject — confirmed by the Editor-in-Chief before communication to the author. The target timeline for a first decision is 6–8 weeks from submission.