The responsibilities of reviewers are;
- Agree/Decline to Review
- Reviewers should accept to participate in the review process of a manuscript only if they have enough expertise in the topic of the manuscript to carry out a proper assessment.
- Reviewers should not accept to participate in the review process of a manuscript if they have conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with the authors, corporations, or institutions related to the manuscript.
- Confidentiality
Reviewers are expected to keep the information obtained from the manuscripts, received for review, confidential. Unpublished materials disclosed in the manuscript must not be used in any form of a reviewer’s own research and must not be presented or discussed with others, without the written consent of the editor who handles the manuscript.
- Standards of Objectivity
- Reviews must be carried out constructively and objectively. The personal criticism of the author(s) is inappropriate. Reviewers should clearly articulate their points of view with supporting arguments.
- Reviewers are expected to draw the handling editor’s attention to any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published document of which they have personal knowledge.
- Reviewers are expected to identify relevant published works that have not been cited by the authors. However, at the same time, they are also expected to refrain from suggesting that authors include citations to their (or their associates’) work merely to increase citation counts or to enhance the visibility of their or their associates’ work; suggestions must be based on valid academic reasons.