Guide to Referees

Before accepting and declining the invitation to review the manuscript, referees are expected to consider their areas of expertise to provide quality review of the paper; potential conflict of interest in providing an independent and unbiased review; availability and commitment to meet the journal deadline; and familiarity of the double-blind review process and journal guidelines to authors. The referees must also agree that the manuscript they received for review must be treated as a confidential document. It must not be shown or discussed with others except authorized by the author/editor. Any ideas obtained during the peer review process will be kept confidential and will not be used for personal advantage.

During the review process, referees are guided by the review form provided to them by the editor. They must correctly and legibly accomplish and submit the form on or before the deadline determined by the editor. Their comments and suggestions will be consolidated with the other referees to refining the manuscript being evaluated and come up with a quality publishable article.

Essentially, referees provide a technical evaluation of the paper regarding its suitability for publication, content and presentation, novelty, and accessibility of the content. Their comments and suggestions will provide the basis for the improvement of the manuscript. Also, they will recommend an action to be taken with regards to the manuscript from the options set by the journal: Accept without revision(s), Accept with minor revision(s), Accept with major revision(s), Reject with the option to resubmit, or Reject. If referees recommend that revisions are required, they must furnish the author/s specific guidance regarding those revisions. Also, they must indicate their willingness to review the paper after revision. If the referees substantially disagree about the paper’s quality, the editor will solicit one or more reviews as a tie-breaker.

The editor will have the final decision for the acceptance and rejection of the paper.