The purpose of peer review
Peer review is a critical element of scholarly
publication, and one of the major cornerstones of the scientific process. It
ensures that published research is sound and properly verified and improves the
quality of the research.
Reviewers for Journals are selected by
the handling editors on the basis of their knowledge of the field. Reviewer
names are anonymized so authors will not be informed of the identity of the
reviewers. You must therefore take care not to identify yourself or your
institution in your comments. Note also that the material you will be reviewing
is confidential and must not be used for your own work.
Before agreeing to review
Reviewing a paper
As a reviewer, it is important that you remain
objective in your critical appraisal. You should not allow your personal
prejudice about research topics or researchers to influence your judgment. Your
comments should be professional and courteous, and should help the author to
improve their paper and present their research as clearly and concisely as
possible.
If you have reasons to believe that the material is
not original or has been plagiarised, please alert the handling editor or the
editorial office.
When reviewing a paper, you should take into
consideration the following: