The role of a reviewer

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What do reviewers do, and why?

Reviewers evaluate article submissions to journals based on the requirements of that journal, predefined criteria, and the quality, completeness and accuracy of the research presented. They provide feedback on the paper, advise improvements and brand a recommendation to the editor nigh whether to accept, refuse or request changes to the commodity. The ultimate determination always rests with the editor but reviewers play a pregnant role in determining the result.

Find out more than well-nigh the process and what is involved here

What do reviewers do, and why?

Reviewing is a time-intensive process – writing a review report can exist almost equally much work as writing a manuscript! – only information technology is very worthwhile for the reviewer equally well every bit for the community.

Reviewers:

  • ensure the rigorous standards of the scientific process by taking function in the peer-review organization.
  • uphold the integrity of the journal by identifying invalid inquiry, and helping to maintain the quality of the journal.
  • fulfil a sense of obligation to the customs and their own area of inquiry.
  • establish relationships with reputable colleagues and their affiliated journals, and increment their opportunities to join an Editorial Board.
  • tin help prevent upstanding breaches by identifying plagiarism, inquiry fraud and other problems by dint of their familiarity with the subject area area.
  • reciprocate professional courtesy, as authors and reviewers are oft interchangeable roles – as reviewer, researchers "repay" the aforementioned consideration they receive as authors.

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Register your interest to be a reviewer

Typically, reviewers are invited to conduct a review by a periodical editor. Editors usually select researchers that are experts in the aforementioned field of study area as the paper. However, if you lot think you would be a expert referee for a specific periodical you tin can volunteer to review on our Reviewer Hub. On the "Volunteer to review" section of the Reviewer Hub, you can search for the journal(southward) of your choosing and click on "Review for periodical" to signal your involvement. Please note that y'all should start complete your reviewer contour.

Access the Reviewer Hub

Other means to volunteer to review

  1. Continue an centre on the journal homepage of your selection for a "volunteer to review" pod.
  2. Alternatively, visit the periodical homepage and "view full editorial board", and so contact the relevant editor(s) through the site and offer your reviewing services.
  3. Please be aware that the choice of whether or not to choose a item referee for a paper is entirely at the discretion of the editor and Elsevier plays no part in this conclusion.

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Recognizing reviewers

Elsevier acknowledges reviewers' invaluable contribution to the progress of science. Elsevier's reviewer recognition programme aims to engage reviewers and advantage them for the piece of work they do. The program features several projects and experiments:

Reviewer Hub

The time, energy and expertise that referees contribute to validating the work of their peers is vital to the advocacy of the academic customs. Elsevier'due south Reviewer Hub provides reviewers with a means of showcasing their efforts and receiving credit for their work.

The platform offers reviewers a personalized profile page, documenting their reviewing history and review certificates.

On the Reviewer Hub, reviewers tin also claim their 30 days' complimentary access to Scopus and ScienceDirect.

The platform offers discounts for several Elsevier services, including Elsevier's WebShop, which offers professional person English language editing, translation and illustration services for researchers preparing their articles, and the Elsevier Book Store.

Access the Elsevier Reviewer Hub

Peer review reports as articles

The publishing peer review reports airplane pilot publicly recognized reviewers' intellectual contribution to accepted articles through the official publication of their reports. Review reports were attributed a separate DOI and published next to the accepted paper on Science Direct. If you are new to reviewing, you are urged to consult a few of these reports to become a feel for how to provide feedback yourself. Review reports are available for the following journals via the "supplementary material" section of articles published betwixt 2015-2018. Participating journals include:

  • Agriculture and Forest Meteorology
  • Annals of Medicine and Surgery
  • Engineering Fracture Mechanics
  • Periodical of Hydrology: Regional Studies
  • International Journal of Surgery

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Reviewer feedback programme

Nosotros regularly survey reviewers to get a better understanding of their needs and how we're doing when information technology comes to meeting them. Findings from the reviewer feedback programme help us to improve the reviewing experience. For example, ninety% of reviewers said they would like to exist able to come across the concluding decision and other reviewers' comments on a paper, and so we added this functionality to the electronic submission system.

The reviewer feedback programme monitors Elsevier'southward performance from the perspective of reviewers on Elsevier journals. We'll inquire you lot nearly various aspects of the reviewing organisation and other aspects of reviewing via an online survey. Areas of interaction and support are measured and reported regularly. Elsevier's operation is benchmarked against that of other publishers.

If you have been asked to complete our reviewer feedback plan online survey, we strongly recommend you complete it to make sure your phonation is heard.

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Elsevier Researcher University modules

Reviewers' Update articles