| 1. Step by step guidelines to reviewers |
| 2. Working with editors |
| 3. How to review revised manuscripts |
| 4. For reviewing a clinical manuscript |
| 5. Reviewing Registered Reports |
Working with editors
An article’s acceptance or rejection depends on the recommendations from reviewers. A good peer review should meet the editor’s criteria, and this section will explain what they look for.
Reviewer’s Expertise
If there is a specific area of the paper that the editor would want you to review, they will specify it when they invite you to review. This is due to the fact that editors may ask for reviewers who have knowledge in particular fields, such as the technique or the statistics used in the study, even though they are aware that you don’t work in the manuscript’s field. If that’s the case, it’s best to make it clear at the outset of the review that you’ll only be making comments on that particular component of the work.
Ask the editor who invited you to assess a paper if you’re unsure of the reason. Editors would prefer that you get in touch with them if you have any questions rather than failing to answer or finish the review.
Reviewer’s Recommendation
The recommendation can be either accept , reject , or revise mentioned with respective valid reasons.
The rating is given based on how relevant the work is related to the topic , the uniqueness and originality of the work , consistency of the conclusion , explanation by the author and the language understandability and accuracy.
The editors are responsible for selecting the paper. This will be determined by their own reading as well as your advice and opinions. It bears emphasising that the editor’s choice won’t always coincide with your own, therefore you shouldn’t bring it up in comments to the author.
Comments to Editors and Authors
The editor uses more than just the reviews’ comments when making a choice. In their decision letter, they frequently make reference to them.
In light of this, it will be beneficial to editors if you:
Editors and authors both benefit from specific suggestions for fixing errors.
Keep in mind that it’s crucial that your comments and recommendations line up. If you’re recommending that the paper be rejected, your comments should be brief, point out the issues, and avoid being overly supportive or appearing to go against your suggestion.
If the editor appears to disagree with your suggestion or your remarks, it may place them in an unpleasant situation.
Remember that you should only use comments to editors for notes that you don’t want the writers to see. Comments to the authors, not comments to the editors, should contain any information that is crucial for the authors to know.
You will typically receive a copy of the letter that contains the editor’s judgement and any feedback from the other reviewers after the author has been informed.