Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

COPE has published its Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers, outlining the basic principles and standards to which all peer reviewers should adhere during the peer-review process. These can be accessed here.

In addition, peer reviewers should:

• only agree to review manuscripts for which they have the subject expertise required to carry out a proper assessment and which they can assess promptly;
• respect the confidentiality of peer review and not reveal any details of a manuscript or its review, during or after the peer-review process, beyond those that are released by the journal;
• not use information obtained during the peer-review process for their own or any other person’s or organization’s advantage or to disadvantage or discredit others;
• declare all potential conflicting interests, seeking advice from the journal if they are unsure whether something constitutes a relevant interest;
• not allow their reviews to be influenced by the origins of a manuscript, by the nationality, religious or political beliefs, gender, or other characteristics of the authors, or by commercial considerations;
• be objective and constructive in their reviews, refraining from being hostile or inflammatory and from making libelous or derogatory personal comments;
• acknowledge that peer review is essentially a reciprocal endeavor and undertake to carry out their fair share of reviewing in a timely manner;
• provide Canrea Journal with personal and professional information that is accurate and a true representation of their expertise;
• recognize that impersonation of another individual during the review process is considered serious misconduct.