Duties of the Reviewer

Importance of Peer Reviewing

Peer review is essential in formal scholarly communication and lies at the heart of the scientific method. Peer review assists the editors in making editorial decisions and communications with the author and supports the author in improving the paper. Peer Reviewers need to recognize the importance of their roles and commit to contributing high-quality work to publishing scholarly research.

Promptness

A selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a paper or knows its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse from the review process. If a selected referee agrees to review a paper, they should then adhere to timelines set by the editor.

Confidentiality

A paper received for review must be handled as a confidential document. It must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor. 

Standards of Objectivity

The reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Study Ethics

Reviewers are encouraged to comment on ethical questions and possible research misconduct raised by submissions (for example, unethical research design, insufficient detail on patient consent, or protection of research subjects, including animals).

Acknowledgement of Sources

Reviewers are encouraged to be alert to redundant publications and plagiarism. Reviewers should identify relevant published works not cited by the author(s). Any statement, observation, derivation, or argument previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Reviewers should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

An unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer's research without the written consent of the author(s). Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.