Role of Reviewers

Reviewers provide expert, constructive feedback that helps editors make decisions and helps authors improve their work. Reviews should focus on scientific quality, clarity, ethics and originality, not on personal preferences.

Peer Review Principles

• Reviews should be fair, objective and respectful in tone.
• Comments must be based on evidence and clear reasoning.
• Reviewers should declare any conflicts of interest to the editor.
• Manuscripts must be treated as confidential documents.

Reviewer Responsibilities

• Accept review invitations only when you have suitable expertise and sufficient time.
• Deliver reviews within the requested deadline or inform the editor if more time is needed.
• Provide clear, structured comments for authors and confidential remarks for editors when necessary.
• Identify potential ethical issues (e.g. plagiarism, data problems) and alert the editor.

Confidentiality & Ethics

• Do not share or discuss the manuscript with others without permission from the editor.
• Do not use unpublished data or ideas from the manuscript in your own work.
• Avoid any language that is offensive or personal; focus on the content of the work.
• Follow COPE guidelines on peer review ethics where applicable.

Structure of the Review Report

• Provide a brief overall summary of the manuscript.
• Comment on major issues (study design, methodology, statistics, ethics, interpretation).
• List specific minor comments (language, formatting, references, clarity of tables/figures).
• Give a clear recommendation (accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject) to the editor.

Recognition & Certificates

GRAP values the contribution of reviewers. Journals may, when possible, provide acknowledgement in annual reviewer lists or personalised certificates of reviewing upon request, while maintaining the confidentiality of individual review reports.