Review Process of Manuscript: Initial Review

1. Read the abstract to ensure that you have the expertise to review the article. Don’t be afraid to say no to reviewing a report if there is a good reason.
2. Read the information provided by the journal for reviewers so you will know: a) The type of manuscript (e.g., a review article, technical note, original research) and the journal’s expectations/parameters for that type of manuscript.; b) Other journal requirements that the manuscript must meet (e.g., length, citation style).
3. Know the journal’s scope and mission to make sure that the paper's topic fits in the scope.
4. Read through the entire manuscript initially to see if the paper is worth publishing- only make a few notes about major problems if such exist: a) Is the question of interest sound and significant?; b) Was the design and method used adequately or fatally flawed? (for original research papers); c) Were the results substantial enough to consider publishable (or were only two or so variables presented or resulted so flawed as to render the paper unpublishable)?
5. What is your initial impression? If the paper is: a) Acceptable with only minor comments/questions: solid, engaging, and new; the sound methodology used; results were well presented; discussion well formulated with Interpretations based on sound scientific reasoning, etc., with only minor comments/questions, move directly to writing up review; b) Fatally flawed, so you will have to reject it: move directly to writing up review; c) A mixture somewhere in the range of “revise and resubmit” to “accepted with major changes,” or you’re unsure if it should be rejected yet or not: It may be a worthy paper, but there are significant concerns that would need to be addressed.

 Complete Review Process of Manuscript

1. Writing: Is the manuscript easy to follow and has a logical progression and evident organization?
2. Is the manuscript concise and understandable? Any parts that should be reduced,
3. Eliminated/expanded/added?
4. Note if there are significant problems with mechanics: grammar, punctuation, spelling. (If there are just a few places that aren’t worded well or correctly, make a note to tell the author the specific areas. If there are consistent problems throughout, only select an example or two if need be, don’t try and edit the whole thing).
5. Abbreviations: Used judiciously and composed so that the reader won’t have trouble remembering what an abbreviation represents.
6. Follows style, format, and other rules of the journal.
7. Citations are provided when providing evidence-based information from outside sources.