Role of the reviewer
Peer review safeguards the scholarly record. You assess originality, methodological soundness, clarity, and whether conclusions follow from evidence — then advise the editor. The final decision always rests with the editor, who weighs your report alongside others.
Before you accept
- Accept only invitations within your expertise and available time.
- Check for competing interests (collaboration, rivalry, financial stakes) and decline where you cannot be objective.
- Respond to invitations promptly — a quick decline lets the editor find someone else without delay.
What to evaluate
- Originality and significance: is the question clear, the contribution real, the literature fairly represented?
- Methodology: appropriate design, defensible sampling, reproducible procedures, correct analysis, ethical conduct.
- Results: clearly presented, complete, not duplicated across text, tables and figures.
- Interpretation: conclusions supported by the data, limitations acknowledged, speculation labelled as such.
- Presentation: clear writing, logical organisation, complete and accurate references.
- Integrity: any sign of plagiarism, duplicate publication, image manipulation or data problems — report privately to the editor, never confront authors.
Structuring your report
- One-paragraph summary of the work as you understood it.
- Major points: numbered, each significant enough to affect the decision.
- Minor points: language, formatting, small errors, preferably with locations.
- Confidential comments to the editor: recommendation, integrity concerns, anything unsuitable for authors.
Conduct and timelines
- Complete reviews by the stated deadline; request extensions early rather than going silent.
- Treat the manuscript as strictly confidential: do not share, cite or use its content before publication.
- Be constructive and specific. Criticise the work, never the author; suggest improvements, not just faults.
- Do not use the review to promote your own work through coerced citations.
Recognition
Reviewers who complete assignments may download signed review certificates from the reviewer portal. Outstanding reviewers may be invited to join the standing reviewer panel.
Interested in reviewing? Apply to join the reviewer panel.