Writing the review
Peer reviewers' comments should reflect, elaborate
on, and augment the evaluative statements and the final recommendation.
Although a good review, however presented, is always welcome,
it is helpful to type your comments whenever possible or write
very clearly.
The standard forms and evaluative statements
provide useful guidelines for issues to consider in the review.
However, reviewers should feel free to comment on any aspect
of the submission.
You may, for instance, have read very similar
papers and recognise the study - perhaps by the same author(s)
- and you may want to check on this with the editor or draw
attention to similar publications. Many journals are reluctant
to publish material which is already in the public domain
unless the new submission offers something substantially different.
If previously published work is presented as if it is new,
there is a duty to inform the editor of the situation. Similarly,
if you see or suspect plagiarism or another form of unethical
conduct by authors, the editor must be informed (in confidence)
of your concerns; in such cases, it is not sufficient to recommend
rejection on the grounds of insufficient novelty or addition
to existing knowledge.
If you are unsure about some aspect of the paper
- the accuracy and appropriateness of the statistics, perhaps
- but do not feel competent to comment, mention this in your
remarks to the editor. If necessary, the editor can then obtain
another opinion.
New reviewers sometimes feel that they must
find something critical to say about a submission. Although
a 'perfect' submission is rare, do not feel obliged to find
fault; if the paper is excellent, say so! Similarly, you might
think that there is nothing specific wrong with a submission
except that it is extremely boring! Perhaps the writing style
needs attention, or the paper adds little to current knowledge
or the sample is too small and local to interest a wider readership.
Again, tell the editor what you think.
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