Reviewers Guidelines

The review process is an important aspect of the publication process of an article. It helps the Editor-in-Chief in making decisions and enables authors to improve their manuscripts.
Academic journals operate a blind peer review system.

Before accepting to review a manuscript, reviewers should ensure that:

The manuscript is within their area of expertise.
They can dedicate sufficient time to conduct a critical review.

Plagiarism

“The practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own” (Oxford Dictionaries)

It is unethical for reviewers to use information obtained during the peer-review process for personal or organizational advantage, or to disadvantage others (COPE).

Review Reports

In evaluating a manuscript, reviewers should focus on:

Originality
Contribution to the field
Technical quality
Clarity of presentation
Depth of research

Ensure authors have followed submission guidelines and ethical policies.
Ensure appropriate reporting standards are followed.
Provide accurate, objective, constructive, and clear feedback.
Avoid hostile, derogatory, or accusatory language.
Do not rewrite the manuscript; provide suggestions for improvement only.

Timeliness

Reviewers should accept manuscripts only if they can dedicate adequate time. Reviews must be completed and returned promptly.

Recommendations

Reviewers’ recommendations should be one of the following:

Accepted
Requires minor corrections
Requires moderate revision
Requires major revision
Not suitable for the journal (suggest alternative journal)
Reject

All recommendations must be supported with constructive arguments and evidence based on the manuscript content.

Reviewers Guidelines