A member of review board can be an eminent researcher, foresighted and experienced
person.
Functions as Reviewer:
Make sure the article you have been asked to review truly matches your expertise
The Editor who has approached you may not know your work intimately, and may only
be aware of your work in a broader context. Only accept an invitation if you are
competent to review the article.
Avoid a potential conflict of interest
A conflict of interest will not necessarily eliminate you from reviewing an article,
but full disclosure to the editor will allow them to make an informed decision.
For example; if you work in the same department or institute as one of the authors;
if you have worked on a paper previously with an author; or you have a professional
or financial connection to the article. These should all be listed when responding
to the editor’s invitation for review.
Check that you have enough time
Reviewing an article can be quite time consuming. The time taken to review can vary
greatly between disciplines and of course on article type, but on average, an article
will take about 5 hours to review properly. Will you have sufficient time before
the deadline stipulated in the invitation to conduct a thorough review?
Understand what it means to accept to review and manage deadlines
Deadlines for reviews vary per journal. The editors will provide information on
deadline expectations with the review request. Let them know within a day or two
that you got the request. They will appreciate being informed in a timely manner
if you are able to complete the review or not. There are no consequences for refusing
to review a paper.
If you feel the review will take you longer to complete than normal, please contact
the editor to discuss the matter. The editor may ask you to recommend an alternate
reviewer, or may be willing to wait a little longer (e.g., if the paper is highly
specialized and reviewers are difficult to find). As a general guideline, if you
know you will not be able to complete a review within the time frame requested,
you should decline to review the paper.
Peer review process
Ethics
The reviewers are suggested to please go through ‘Responsible Conduct Regarding
Scientific Communication’ link in ‘Memberships and services’ link of our website.
Further a reviewer is advised to please read these issues carefully before reviewing
a manuscript.
Plagiarism
If you suspect that an article is a substantial copy of another work, please let
the editor know, citing the previous work in as much detail as possible.
Fraud
It is very difficult to detect the determined fraudster, but if you suspect the
results in an article to be untrue, discuss it with the editor.
Other ethical concerns
For medical research, has confidentiality been maintained? Has there been a violation
of the accepted norms in the ethical treatment of animal or human subjects? If so,
then these should also be identified to the editor.
Visit our website on ‘SERS Ethical Policy’ for more information
Confidentiality
Do not disclose to others
Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They
must not be shown to, or discussed with, others except as authorized by the editor.
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a
reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged
information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and
not used for personal advantage.
Requesting the opinion of a single colleague may be appropriate in some circumstances
but you should always let the editor know beforehand. Most editors welcome additional
comments, but whoever else is involved will also need to keep the review process
confidential. If the review is referred to a student, he or she should communicate
directly with the editor.
Reviewer identity is generally not shared with the author
Although journal practices vary, most journals do not share the identity of the
reviewer with the author. To help us protect your identity, please do not reveal
your name within the text of your review. It also implies you should not attempt
to contact the author.
Originality
Is the article sufficiently novel and interesting to warrant publication? Does it
add to the canon of knowledge? Does the article adhere to the journal's standards?
Is the research question an important one? In order to determine its originality
and appropriateness for the journal, it might be helpful to think of the research
in terms of what percentile it is in? Is it in the top 25% of papers in this field?
You might wish to do a quick literature search using tools such as Scopus to see
if there are any reviews of the area. If the research has been covered previously,
pass on references of those works to the editor.
Structure
Layout and format
Authors are required to adhere to the journal’s Guide for Authors, which includes
manuscript presentation. If the difference is extreme and the editor has not mentioned
this issue in the request to review, you may wish to contact your editor to discuss
it. Otherwise, you should note this in your review. If the paper is otherwise good,
the editor may choose to overlook the formatting issues (for example, if the author
comes from outside the discipline but has something valuable to convey to the readers
of this journal). Other times, editors may ask the author to restructure the paper
before publication.
Title
Does it clearly describe the article?
Abstract
Does it reflect the content of the article?
Introduction
Does it describe what the author hoped to achieve accurately, and clearly state
the problem being investigated? Normally, the introduction should summarize relevant
research to provide context, and explain what other authors' findings, if any, are
being challenged or extended. It should describe the experiment, the hypothesis(es)
and the general experimental design or method.
Graphical abstracts and/or highlights
Where these are included, please check the content and if possible make suggestions
for improvements. Do the figures and tables inform the reader, are they an important
part of the story? Do the figures describe the data accurately? Are they consistent,
e.g. bars in charts are the same width, the scales on the axis are logical.
Method
Does the author accurately explain how the data was collected? Is the design suitable
for answering the question posed? Is there sufficient information present for you
to replicate the research? Does the article identify the procedures followed? Are
these ordered in a meaningful way? If the methods are new, are they explained in
detail? Was the sampling appropriate? Have the equipment and materials been adequately
described? Does the article make it clear what type of data was recorded; has the
author been precise in describing measurements?
Results
This is where the author(s) should explain in words what he/she/they discovered
in the research. It should be clearly laid out and in a logical sequence. You will
need to consider if the appropriate analysis has been conducted. Are the statistics
correct? If you are not comfortable with statistics, please advise the editor when
you submit your report. Interpretation of results should not be included in this
section.
Conclusion/Discussion
Are the claims in this section supported by the results, do they seem reasonable?
Have the authors indicated how the results relate to expectations and to earlier
research? Does the article support or contradict previous theories? Does the conclusion
explain how the research has moved the body of scientific knowledge forward?
Language
If an article is poorly written due to grammatical errors, while it may make it
more difficult to understand the science, you do not need to correct the English.
You should bring this to the attention of the editor.
Previous Research
If the article builds upon previous research does it reference that work appropriately?
Are there any important works that have been omitted? Are the references accurate?
In need of help
Content
Any queries relating to the content of the paper, please contact editor@sers.og.in
Technical issues
For technical issues relating to the access your online account or downloading or
opening manuscript/ supplementary material or any other technical problem regarding
access of your account or sending report, you can write to editor@sers.og.in
Once you have completed your evaluation of the article the next step is to write
up your report. Below are some key points to consider during this task.
Provide a quick summary
Some journals may request that you complete a form, checking various aspects of
the paper, others will request an overview of your remarks. Either way, it is helpful
to provide a quick summary of the article at the beginning of your report. This
serves the dual purpose of reminding the editor of the details of the report and
also reassuring the author and editor that you have understood the article.
Highlight key elements
The report should contain the key elements of your review, addressing the points
outlined in the preceding section. Commentary should be courteous and constructive,
and should not include any personal remarks or personal details including your name.
Explain your judgement
Providing insight into any deficiencies is important. You should explain and support
your judgment so that both editors and authors are able to fully understand the
reasoning behind your comments. You should indicate whether your comments are your
own opinion or are reflected by the data.
Classify your recommendation
When you make a recommendation regarding an article, it is worth considering the
categories the editor most likely uses for classifying the article:
-Reject (explain reason in report)
-Accept without revision
-Revise (either major or minor)
You can choose a check box according to as per your decision and click on that.
Acceptance/Rejection
The final decision of whether to accept or reject a particular manuscript lies with
the editor. SERS plays no part in this decision. The editor will weigh all views
and may call for a third opinion or ask the author for a revised paper before making
a decision.
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