For Reviewers

We are grateful for the work that all reviewers do to assist authors to enhance and develop their papers, and support the integrity of the publishing process.

1. Benefits for Reviewers

In IMR Press, we value the hard work and dedication of our reviewers, and thus we are very pleased to offer you the following benefits every time you review for a IMR Press journal:

  • Personalized reviewer certificate.
  • A discount voucher of 30–100 USD which will entitle you to a reduction in the Article Processing Charge (APC) of your future submission to the journal.
  • Extending your expertise in the field and expanding your knowledge.
  • Building your reputation and increasing your exposure to key figures in the field.
  • Keeping up with the latest literature and getting access to research results.
  • Reinforcing critical thinking skills essential to research during the review process.
  • An advance in your career—reviewer is an essential role for every researcher.
2. Reviewers Responsibilities

IMR Press adopts double-blind peer review. Reviewers should judge the manuscript objectively and respect the intellectual independence of authors. In no case is personal criticism appropriate. Reviewers should explain and support their judgments in a clear way that editors and authors may understand the basis of their comments.

Before accepting to review a manuscript:

  • Reviewers should ensure that the manuscript is within their area of expertise.
  • Reviewers should confirm that they can dedicate the appropriate time to conduct a critical review of the manuscript. 
  • Reviewers are welcome to provide suggestions for alternative reviewers.

During the review process:

  • Reviewers should inform the editors of any related interests and recuse themselves from the peer-review process in cases where there is a significant conflict of interest, financial or otherwise. For details, please refer to ICMJE.
  • Reviewers can make a request to extend the deadline if more time is needed to compose a critique.

We ask reviewers the following questions to provide an assessment of the various aspects of a manuscript. Criteria for assessing articles:

  • Does the abstract convey the major theme of the results, free from bias or spin?
  • Does the introduction describe the rationale for the study in the context of the available literature?
  • Does the article comprehensively and critically evaluate an important problem in the context of the available literature?
  • Where relevant, have appropriate ethics approval and informed consent been obtained?
  • Are the methods adequately described so that the work could be reproduced by qualified experts?
  • Is the number of samples, number of repeats, equipment, and chemicals used clearly mentioned?
  • Is the catalogue number of antibodies, cell lines, and other resources mentioned?
  • Are statistical methods clearly stated and are any statistical findings clearly and accurately reported, including in the figures and tables?
  • Is the discussion well-balanced and justified in light of the available literature and the research findings?
  • Are any conflicts of interest stated?
  • Experiments including human or animal research should properly be documented, following relevant reporting guidelines as detailed in the Editorial Policies.
  • Are the references appropriate in number and up-to-date? Are statements supported appropriately by citations? Following relevant reporting guidelines as detailed in the citation.
  • Does the manuscript require language editing?
3. Managing Your Review

3.1 Confidential Material

Respect the confidentiality of the peer-review process and refrain from using information obtained during the peer review process for your own or another’s advantage, or to disadvantage or discredit others, based on COPE guideline. In addtion, based on ICMJE guideline reviewers should disclose to journals if and how AI technology is being used to facilitate their review. Reviewers should be aware that AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete, or biased.

3.2 Timeliness

IMR Press's aim is to facilitate the dissemination of high-quality research in the area of biomedical science. To publish scientific work timely, we encourage reviewers to return their comments within one to two weeks. If any unanticipated difficulties may prevent you from submitting the review on time, please contact the Editorial Office directly.

3.3 Comments to Editors

Comments to the Editor will be submitted to help guide the Editors in making a decision about the ultimate disposition of the paper. Comments and constructive criticism of the manuscript should be placed in the Comments to the Author.

In your comments to the editor, state your opinion about whether the study is an important contribution to the literature and appropriate for the audience, whether it is controversial in nature, or whether you think it requires an editorial comment to explain, expand, or highlight certain results. In addition to recommending that the paper be accepted, rejected, or revised for further consideration, we rely heavily on our reviewers to note whether there is any evidence of breach of publication or scientific ethics:

  • Have data from this paper been published previously?
  • Do you see evidence of plagiarism?
  • Do you have concerns about scientific fraud or failure of the authors to disclose any conflicts of interest?
  • Do you have concerns about any violation of ethical treatment of human subjects?

 

3.4 Comments to Authors

In your written comments to the authors, please include your judgement of:

  • The significance and interest of the paper to readers.
  • The originality and soundness of the scientific work. Do not include overall recommendations in your comments to the authors ("This paper is publishable", "This paper is unacceptable", "This paper should not be published", etc.). General recommendations should appear only in comments you provide separately for the editor. Reviewers' comments can help editors make better decisions. However, editors make their decision based on the overall reviewers' comments as well as the journals’ preferences and priority to publication.
  • Specific numbered comments should include your impressions of the strengths and weaknesses of each item. Numbered (1, 2, 3, etc.) comments will facilitate the editors’ communication to the authors, the authors’ responses to reviewers, and re-reviews.
  • When you make recommendations to an author, provide sufficient detail for the author to understand why you made your recommendation.
  • Is the writing concise, clear, and well organized? Do all sections of the manuscript consistently reflect the major point being made? Should the paper or parts of it be shortened or expanded? Are findings new, convincing, interesting?
  • Does the abstract accurately reflect the scope and content of the manuscript?
  • Is the research question or hypothesis clearly stated in the manuscript’s Introduction?
  • Are the methods and statistical design valid for the question asked? Are these methods current? Are the methods clearly presented so that the work can be replicated by other researchers? Are sample sizes adequate? Are the statistical analyses appropriate and correct?
  • Are the results clearly summarized? Are data in the text and tables/figures consistent? Do tables/figures included in the manuscript convey necessary information? Is information needlessly repeated? Can some information be placed online-only? Do the authors state “Data not shown”, where they should include the data in supplementary material?
  • Are the conclusions outlined in the manuscript’s Discussion justified and interpretations sound? Are the limitations of the study noted?
  • Are the cited references pertinent and current? Do they support any assertions of fact not addressed by the data presented in this paper?
  • Are figures of high quality and clearly labeled? Are data in charts presented appropriately? Are legends and titles clear?
  • Even if you think a manuscript is seriously flawed, try to provide the author with specific suggestions as to how it might be improved. Also be sure to identify the strengths of a paper, and consider whether and how those strengths might be salvaged.
  • Sometimes you will receive a manuscript which obviously is written by someone whose first language is not English. In these cases, please be sure to distinguish, as best you can, between the quality of writing and quality of ideas. Writing problems in an otherwise insightful paper could be addressed during manuscript revision.
  • Do not identify yourself or your institution in your comments for the authors. Do not use letterhead.

 

3.5 Your Recommendation

When you make a recommendation, it is worth considering the categories the editor will likely use for classifying the article:

  • Accept manuscript in its current form.
  • Accept with major/minor revisions (a sound and clear explanation is required).
  • Reject (reasoning is required).
  • Reason for rejection: (1) Flawed methods and results; (2) Insufficient explanation of the results; (3) Low academic value; (4) Other reasons.

If you encounter difficulties during your review or want to raise ethical concerns, please contact our editors who invited you or the Editorial Office.

3.6 How to Access Your Review

Your review will be managed via IMR Press online submission & editorial system. To access the manuscript and review report form, click on the link in the invitation email you received which will take you to the online submission & editorial system. If you have difficulties while accessing the manuscript, please email the editor or the Editorial Office.

4. Peer-Review and Editorial Procedure

(1) Preliminary review: before peer review, the editorial office may preliminary review all manuscripts and reject manuscripts that are not novel or not matched with the aims and scope of the specific journal.

(2) Peer review: a manuscript will be reviewed by at least two reviewers. The peer review process will help editors make better decisions.

(3) Editor decision and revision: in cases where only minor revisions are recommended, the author is usually requested to revise the paper before referring to the next round review. Articles may or may not be sent to reviewers after author revision, dependent on whether the reviewer requested to see the revised version and the wishes of the Academic editor. Apart from in exceptional circumstances, we allow a maximum of two rounds of major revision per manuscript.

 

Updated on 10 May 2021