Reviewer Guidelines

How to Conduct a Review

Before accepting or declining an invitation to review a manuscript, please consider the following:

  • Whether the research article falls within your area of expertise.
  • Whether you have any conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of your review.
  • Whether you have sufficient time to complete the review within the specified timeframe.

If you accept the invitation to review, you must treat the manuscript and your review report as confidential documents. You must not share the manuscript or any part of your review with anyone without the permission of the editor.

When conducting a review, your first step should be to read the entire manuscript carefully and thoroughly. Please provide comments and recommendations based on your academic judgment, expertise, and perspective regarding the content and quality of the manuscript.

Review Report

Your review report will assist the editor in determining whether the manuscript is suitable for publication. All comments should be expressed in a courteous, objective, and constructive manner.

Providing feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript is an important part of the review process. Reviewers should clearly explain the basis for their assessments so that both the editor and the authors can understand the reasoning behind each comment and recommendation.

Checklist

Reviewers are expected to consider the following aspects:

  1. Summarize the article briefly in one paragraph to demonstrate that you have read and understood the research manuscript thoroughly.
  2. Provide your overall assessment of the article, particularly its novelty, noteworthy aspects, potential impact, and contribution to advancing existing knowledge.
  3. Ensure that any recommendation to the authors to add specific citations or references is based on valid scientific reasons and is not intended to increase the visibility of your own work or that of your colleagues.
  4. Promptly inform the editor if you suspect plagiarism, fraud, data manipulation, or any other ethical concerns.
  5. Provide specific and constructive comments and recommendations, including observations related to the manuscript's layout and formatting, title, abstract, introduction, methodology, statistical analysis, results, discussion, conclusion, language, and references.

Final Decision

Based on the reviewers' reports and recommendations, the editor will determine whether the manuscript should be accepted or rejected. The editor will consider all reviewers' comments and recommendations and may seek a third reviewer's opinion or assessment when necessary.