Virtually all articles that are accepted as publishable in JAE require some amount of rewriting. In cases where the two referees are split on the recommendations between acceptance and rejection, the executive editor will make the final decision.

When the Executive Editor receives all peer reviews, he/she forwards them to the author with a notice of the status of the manuscript (Accept/Conditional Accept/Re-submit/Reject). If the paper is not accepted, the Executive Editor will explain the reasons for rejection.

For all other manuscript submissions (Accept/Conditional Accept/Re-submit), the Executive Editor will outline the extent and nature of rewriting or other alterations required, including specific directions for development in addition to those included in the peer-review reports. In the case of Theme Issues, much of the directions for development be generated by the Theme Editors.

Once a manuscript/design is accepted for publication, authors/designers are sent a production schedule for the issue in which their work will appear and specific guidelines for the preparation of the final manuscript and graphic material. However, whether a manuscript/design is accepted as a "General Article/Design" or as part of a "theme issue," all acceptances are provisional pending the final review and approval by the Executive Editor. This "provisional" status remains unchanged until the manuscript or design uploading to Blackwell for publication.