The peer review process is a process in which the journal assesses the quality of the manuscript before publication and is reviewed by relevant experts in the field who review and comment on the accepted manuscript. The purpose of this process is to assist the editor in determining whether the manuscript is suitable for publication in the Journal of Kenotariatan Risalah.

Point-to-point is important in the peer review process:

1. Manuscripts submitted to the journal first go through an initial screening by the editorial team.
2. Manuscripts that pass the initial screening will be sent to at least two bestary partners for review.
3. The bestary partners independently provide recommendations to the journal editor on whether the manuscript should be rejected or accepted (with or without revisions).
4. The journal editor considers all feedback from the bestary partners and makes a decision to accept or reject the manuscript.

The peer review process for journal publications is essentially a quality control mechanism where experts evaluate manuscripts to ensure the quality of the published work. However, the reviewers do not make the decision to accept or reject the manuscript; they only provide recommendations. In a journal, the authority to make decisions rests with the editor or editorial board.

How does this work? When a manuscript is submitted to the journal, it will be assessed to determine if it meets the submission criteria. If it does, the editorial team will select potential bestary partners in the research field to review the manuscript and provide recommendations. Jurnal Risalah Kenotariatan uses four types of peer review:

1. Single blind: The reviewer knows the author's name, but the author does not know who reviewed their manuscript unless the reviewer chooses to sign their report.
2. Double blind: The reviewers do not know the authors' names, and the authors do not know who is reviewing their manuscript.

Why peer review? Peer review is an integral part of scholarly publishing that confirms the validity of a manuscript. Peer reviewers are experts who volunteer their time to help improve the manuscript they are reviewing.

Steps of peer review:

1. Manuscript Submission: The author submits the manuscript to Jurnal Risalah Kenotariatan. This is usually done through an online system on the Jurnal Risalah Kenotariatan website, or the journal can also accept manuscript submissions via author email.
2. Editorial Evaluation: The editorial team reviews the manuscript to ensure that it conforms to the journal template. The quality of the manuscript is not assessed at this stage.
3. Evaluation by the Editor-in-Chief: The Editor-in-Chief checks whether the manuscript is suitable for the journal, sufficiently original, and interesting. Otherwise, the manuscript may be rejected without further review.
4. Invitation of Peer Reviewers: The editor sends invitations to appropriate individuals to become reviewers.
5. Response to Invitation: Potential reviewers consider the invitation based on their expertise, conflicts of interest, and availability. They then accept or decline the invitation. If they decline, they can suggest alternative reviewers.
6. Review Conducted: The reviewer takes the time to read the manuscript several times to form an initial impression and make detailed point-by-point review notes. The review results are then submitted to the journal with a recommendation of acceptance, rejection, or a request for revision before reconsideration.
7. Journal Evaluates Reviews: Editors consider all returned reviews before making an overall decision. If the reviews differ significantly, the editor may invite additional reviewers for additional opinions before making a decision.
8. Decision Communicated: The editor emails the decision to the author, including relevant reviewer comments.
9. Next steps: If accepted, the manuscript will be sent for production. If rejected or sent back, the author is asked to revise along with the reviewers' comments to help improve the manuscript. At this stage, the reviewers are also emailed to inform them of the authors' revisions. If a revised manuscript is submitted, the reviewers expect a new version, but if only minor changes are requested, the review is conducted by the editor.