Post date: Dec 25, 2019 5:54:17 PM
SciWrite Tip of a day: Do not turn off the invitations by editors for peer review. This academic task is usually voluntary and unpaid (in terms of monetary values). However, by reviewing scholars’ works, you may earn the following benefits:
1. Locating yourself in the cutting-edge research because you will have an opportunity of being the first to read the unpublished materials
2. Getting free access to several scholarly services, including scopus and, in certain cases, Web of Science
3. Getting more knowledge and skills of writing papers because you will learn how other scholars, especially the well-established ones, write their papers
4. Understanding the editorial and publishing machinery, which may be of great value when submitting your paper for consideration for publication by that journal
5. Gaining recognition by journals and other scholarly engines, such as publons (https://publons.com/) that awards top peer reviewers yearly
When reviewing papers, we should follow ethical guidelines and journal policy:
1. Return the reviews within the given timeframe. If you need additional time, communicate with the editor for the time extension
2. Communicate only with the editors of the journal, and NOT the authors of the paper
3. Ensure confidentiality of the authors’ work, and do not transfer the ideas in the paper to yourself or to your students
4. Do not give your colleagues the paper to review on grounds of mentorship or of lack of time. Editors dislike this misconduct, and, if discovered, they may revoke your position as a peer reviewer
5. Avoid subjectivity by imposing your personal ideologies during review. For instance, the following aspects should not change your review perception towards the paper: nationality, gender, affiliation, ethnicity, and color of the authors
6. Provide only recommendations, and do not assume the position of the editor to reinforce decision
7. Do not demand rewards from the authors as a constraint for you to decisive comments. Do not demand monetary values from the editors as a compliment for you to review the papers