How to review a paper and manuscript. Rules define by Elsevier for their reviewers and for general

1. Conducting a
Manuscript Review
Elsevier Methodology
Compiled
By: Atiqa
Ijaz Khan
Friday, September 23, 2016

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1
HOW TO CONDUCT A REVIEW?
 Before you accept or decline an invitation to review, consider the following questions:
 Does the article match your area of expertise? Only accept if you feel you can provide a high
quality review.
 Do you have a potential conflict of interest? Disclose this to the editor when you respond.
 Do you have time? Reviewing can be a lot of work – before you commit, make sure you can meet
the deadline.
 Finally: Educate yourself on the peer review process through the free Elsevier Publishing Campus
 Respond to the invitation as soon as you can – delay in your decision slows down the review
process, whether you agree to review or not. If you decline the invitation, provide suggestions for
alternative reviewers.
1. Before you start
2. Your review report
3. Checklist
4. Your recommendation
5. Final decision
BEFORE YOU START
If you accept, you must treat the materials you receive as confidential documents. This means you can’t
share them with anyone without prior authorization from the editor. Since peer review is confidential,
you also must not share information about the review with anyone without permission from the editors
and authors.
First read the article and then take a break from it, giving you time to think. Consider the article from
your own perspective. When you sit down to write the review, make sure you know what the journal is
looking for, and have a copy of any specific reviewing criteria you need to consider.
YOUR REVIEW REPORT
Your review will help the editor decide whether or not to publish the article. Giving your overall opinion
and general observations of the article is essential. Your comments should be courteous and
constructive, and should not include any personal remarks or personal details including your name.
Providing insight into any deficiencies is important. You should explain and support your judgement
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.
CHECKLIST
1. Summarize the article in a short paragraph. This shows the editor you have read and understood the
research.
2. Give your main impressions of the article, including whether it is novel and interesting, whether it
has a sufficient impact and adds to the knowledge base.
3. Point out any journal-specific points – does it adhere to the journal’s standards?

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4. If you suspect plagiarism, fraud or have other ethical concerns, raise your suspicions with the editor,
providing as much detail as possible. Visit Elsevier’s Ethics site or the COPE Guidelines for more
information.
5. Give specific comments and suggestions, including about layout and format, Title, Abstract,
Introduction, Graphical Abstracts and/or Highlights, Method, statistical errors, Results,
Conclusion/Discussion, language and References.
YOUR RECOMMENDATION
 When you make a recommendation, 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 (explain the revision that is required, and indicate to the editor
whether or not you would be happy to review the revised article)
THE FINAL DECISION
The editor ultimately decides whether to accept or reject the article. Elsevier 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. The online editorial system provides reviewers with a notification of
the final decision, if the journal has opted in to this function. If this is not applicable for your journal,
you can contact the editor to find out whether the article was accepted or rejected.
WHAT IS PEER REVIEW?
Reviewers play a central role in scholarly publishing. Peer review helps validate research, establish a
method by which it can be evaluated, and increase networking possibilities within research
communities. Despite criticisms, peer review is still the only widely accepted method for research
validation.
1. Background
2. Peer review process
3. Types of peer review
4. Article Transfer Service
5. Interesting reads
BACKGROUND
Elsevier relies on the peer review process to uphold the quality and validity of individual articles and
the journals that publish them.
Peer review has been a formal part of scientific communication since the first scientific journals
appeared more than 300 years ago. The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society is thought
to be the first journal to formalize the peer review process.

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In September 2009, Elsevier partnered with Sense About Science, an independent NGO working to
promote the public's understanding of 'sound science', to launch the 2009 Peer Review Study – the
largest survey ever international survey of authors and reviewers.
 Visit the free Elsevier Publishing Campus to learn more about peer review.
THE PEER REVIEW PROCESS
TYPES OF PEER REVIEW
Single Blind Review
The names of the reviewers are hidden from the author. This is the traditional method of reviewing and
is the most common type by far.
 Reviewer anonymity allows for impartial decisions – the reviewers will not be influenced by the
authors.
 Authors may be concerned that reviewers in their field could delay publication, giving the reviewers
a chance to publish first.

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 Reviewers may use their anonymity as justification for being unnecessarily critical or harsh when
commenting on the authors’ work.
Double Blind Review
Both the reviewer and the author are anonymous.
 Author anonymity prevents any reviewer bias, for example based on an author's country of origin
or previous controversial work.
 Articles written by prestigious or renowned authors are considered on the basis of the content of
their papers, rather than their reputation.
 Reviewers can often identify the author through their writing style, subject matter or self-citation.
Open Review
Reviewer and author are known to each other.
 Some believe this is the best way to prevent malicious comments, stop plagiarism, prevent
reviewers from following their own agenda, and encourage open, honest reviewing.
 Others see open review as a less honest process, in which politeness or fear of retribution may cause
a reviewer to withhold or tone down criticism.
More transparent peer review
Reviewers play a vital role in academic publishing, yet their contributions are often hidden. Three
Elsevier journals now publish supplementary review files alongside the articles on Science Direct.
 Acknowledges the important role of reviewers
 Enriches published articles and improves the reading experience
Article Transfer Service
Elsevier authors can transfer their article submission from one journal to another for free if they are
rejected, without the need to reformat, and often without needing further peer review.
 Reviewers are not asked to review the same manuscript several times for different journals.
 Authors do not need to spend additional time reformatting their manuscript.
Interesting reads
1. Chapter 2 of Academic and Professional Publishing, 2012, by Irene Hames in 2012, available on
Science Direct.
2. "Is Peer Review in Crisis?" Perspectives in Publishing No 2, August 2004, by Adrian Mulligan,
available on Elsevier.com.
3. “The history of the peer-review process” Trends in Biotechnology, 2002, by Ray Spier, available
on Science Direct.
BECOMING A REVIEWER: HOW AND
WHY
Reviewing requires the investment of time and a certain skillset. Before you decide if you want to
become a reviewer, we recommend that you read more about the peer review process and conducting

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a review. You can also check out some of the training courses and webinars in the tools and resources
section or at the free Elsevier Publishing Campus.
1. Do you want to be a reviewer?
2. What do reviewers do?
3. Why review?
4. Recognizing reviewers
5. Feedback program
DO YOU WANT TO BE A REVIEWER?
Typically, reviewers are invited to conduct a review by a journal or books editor. Editors usually select
researchers that are experts in the same subject area as the paper. However, if you think you would be
a good reviewer for a specific journal you can always contact one of the journal's editors.
1. Identify which journal you would like to review for using the Journal Finder tool on Elsevier.com
2. Visit the journal homepage and ‘view full editorial board’
3. Contact the relevant editor(s) through the site and offer your reviewing services
WHAT DO REVIEWERS DO, AND WHY?
Reviewers evaluate article submissions to journals, based on the requirements of that journal,
predefined criteria, and quality, completeness and accuracy of the research presented. They provide
feedback on the article and the research, suggest improvements and make a recommendation to the
editor about whether to accept, reject or request changes to the article.
 Reviewing is a time-intensive process – writing a review report can be almost as much work as
writing a manuscript! – but it is very worthwhile for the reviewer as well as for the community.
Reviewers:
 Ensure the rigorous standards of the scientific process by taking part in the peer-review system.
 Uphold the integrity of the journal by identifying invalid research, and helping to maintain the
quality of the journal.
 Fulfill a sense of obligation to the community and their own area of research.
 Establish relationships with reputable colleagues and their affiliated journals, and increase their
opportunities to join an Editorial Board.
 Reciprocate professional courtesy, as authors and reviewers are often interchangeable roles – as
reviewer, researchers ‘repay’ the same courtesy they receive as authors.
WHY REVIEW?
There are great benefits to becoming a reviewer. You can:
 Establish your expertise in the field and expand your knowledge.
 Improve your reputation and increase your exposure to key figures in the field.
 Stay up to date with the latest literature, and have advanced access to research results.
 Develop critical thinking skills essential to research.
 Advance in your career – peer review is an essential role for researchers.

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RECOGNIZING REVIEWERS
Reviewers are important to us; Elsevier’s Reviewer Recognition Program aims to engage reviewers and
reward them for the work they do. The Program features several projects and experiments.
Free access
All reviewers are entitled to:
 Free 30-day access to Scopus
 Free 30-day access to Science Direct
 Free mentoring booklet: Charting a course for a successful research career, written by 30-
year research veteran Prof. Alan Johnson
Cross-Reviewing
Cross-Reviewing (CR) is a new innovation that allows reviewers to see each other’s reports once all
reports have been submitted. It provides reviewers with a short window of time in which to discuss the
reports. During this time, they are given the opportunity to provide additional information or make
further recommendations to the editor based on this discussion, before they make a final decision.
Reviewer Recognition Platform
Reviewers find reviewing an important and rewarding activity, but the work is almost invisible to the
outside world, and hardly ever rewarded. The Reviewer Recognition Platform is designed to change
that.
The Platform offers reviewers a personalized profile page, documenting their reviewing history. If a
reviewer has completed at least one review in two years, they become a ‘Recognized Reviewer’.
‘Outstanding Reviewer’ status is awarded to those who belong to the top 10th percentile in terms of the
number of completed reviews for a specific journal in two years. Editors can also hand pick reviewers
and award them with a ‘Certificate of Excellence’ and other perks.
Reviewers can download review certificates, end of year review reports and electronic badges via the
Platform. Reviewers can also volunteer to review for their favorite Elsevier journals.
The Platform offers discounts for several Elsevier services, including Elsevier’s WebShop, which
offers professional English language editing, Translation and Illustration services for researchers
preparing their articles, and the Elsevier Book Store.
Peer Review reports as articles
The Publishing Peer Review Reports pilot publicly recognizes reviewers’ intellectual contribution to
accepted articles through the official publication of their reports. Review reports are attributed a separate
DOI and are published next to the accepted paper on Science Direct. Participating journals include:
 Agriculture and Forest Meteorology
 Annals of Medicine and Surgery
 Engineering Fracture Mechanics
 Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
 International Journal of Surgery
REVIEWER FEEDBACK PROGRAM
We regularly survey reviewers to get a better understanding of their needs and how we’re doing when
it comes to meeting them. Findings from the Reviewer Feedback Program help us to improve the

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reviewing experience. For example, 90% of reviewers said they would like to be able to see the final
decision and other reviewers’ comments on a paper, so we added this functionality to EES.
The Reviewer Feedback Program monitors Elsevier’s performance from the perspective of reviewers
on Elsevier journals. We’ll ask you about various aspects of EES and other aspects of reviewing via an
online survey. Areas of interaction and support are measured and reported regularly. Elsevier’s
performance is benchmarked against that of other publishers.
If you have been asked to complete our Reviewer Feedback Program online survey, we strongly
recommend you complete it to make sure your voice is heard.
TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR
REVIEWERS
Below you will find a set of tools and other resources that will help you in the reviewing process.
1. Latest Updates
2. Training
3. Getting started
4. Tools
5. Help
LATEST UPDATES
Reviewers’ Update brings you the latest news and views, and useful information about relevant
Elsevier and industry developments. The comment function at the bottom of each article provides a
valuable forum for you to share your views, stories or examples of best practice with your peers.
Subscribe to our free Reviewers’ Update alerts
TRAINING AND WORKSHOPS
 Peer review training courses and online lectures on the Elsevier Publishing Campus.
 Reviewer Workshops: to organize a workshop about peer review at your institute or conference,
contact publishingcampus@elsevier.com
 Elsevier Editorial System (EES) Interactive Tutorials/EVISE®: learn more about how to work
with the system.
GETTING STARTED
To locate the homepage of the journal you have been invited to review for, you can use the Journal
Finder tool.
You are notified by email when you are invited to review a submission for a journal. If you agree to
review, you will receive further emails with information including the journal title and a link to
its online editorial site.

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If you do not remember for which journal you have been invited to review, please contact Customer
Support with your name and email address.
TOOLS
Online tools
 Policies: You can access all of Elsevier’s policies online.
 Open access: All open access information is available on our open science pages.
 Reviewer research tools: all Elsevier reviewers can benefit from a seamless integration between
Scopus, Science Direct and EES/EVISE® to assist them in the peer review process, with 30 days
of free access to Scopus and Science Direct.
 Elsevier Editorial System (EES) is an online system to help authors, editors and reviewers
throughout the submission, peer review and editorial process.
 EVISE® is our new online submission and editorial system.
 Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals,
books and conference proceedings.
 Science Direct is a leading full-text scientific database offering journal articles and book chapters
from nearly 2,500 journals and 26,000 books.
Publications
 Charting a course for a successful research career – Written by 30-year research veteran Prof.
Alan Johnson, this publication provides a detailed map of the important milestones a researcher
should reach along the path to a successful research career.
 Peer Review: The Nuts and Bolts – a booklet about peer review by Sense About Science.
 Guidelines on roles and responsibilities in peer review – a publication by the Council of Science
Editors (CSE).
NEED HELP?
Retrieving a username and password
To retrieve your username and password for reviewing on the online editorial system, you can click the
‘Submit Your Paper’ link on the journal’s homepage and then follow the forgotten password link on
the log-in screen.
To locate the homepage of the journal you have been invited to review for, you can use the Journal
Finder tool.
Contact us
1. Content: Contact the journal editor or editorial office with questions about the content of an
article.
2. Technical issues: Contact the reviewers’ helpdesk for technical issues relating to the online
system:
* Email support@elsevier.com
* The Americas: +1 888 834 7287 (toll free for US & Canadian customers)
* Asia + Pacific: + 81 3 5561 5032
* Europe & all other areas: +44 1865 84 3577

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3. Access for reviewers: For any questions related to the EES/Scopus integration, please visit our
support and self help site, or contact:
* For the Americas: +1 888 834 7287 (toll-free for US & Canadian callers)
* For Asia & Pacific: +81 3 5561 5032
* For Europe & Rest of the World: +353 61 709190
* Fax: +353 61 709 228
COURTESY TO:
1. https://www.elsevier.com/reviewers/how-to-conduct-a-review
2. https://www.publishingcampus.elsevier.com/pages/69/Colleges/College-of-Skills-Training/Peer-
review.html?PAGE_NR=69
3. https://www.elsevier.com/reviewers
4. https://www.elsevier.com/reviewers/what-is-peer-review
5. https://www.elsevier.com/reviewers/becoming-a-reviewer-how-and-why
6. https://www.elsevier.com/reviewers/tools-and-resources-for-reviewers