Peer reviewering policy
Guide for reviewers
Submitted manuscripts are reviewed by 2 (or more) experts. Peer reviewers will be asked to recommend whether a manuscript should be accepted, revised or rejected. They should also alert the editors of any issues relating to author misconduct, such as plagiarism and unethical behavior.
JVMBBS operates using a double-blind peer review system, in which both authors and reviewers are anonymous.
Publication of research articles is primarily dependent on their validity and coherence, as judged by peer reviewers and editors.
The reviewers may also be asked whether the writing is comprehensible. Submitted manuscripts will be sent to peer reviewers unless they are out of scope of the journal, or if the presentation or written English is of an unacceptably low standard. Authors who are not native English speakers are strongly encouraged to submit their manuscript to us for review and clarification. Note that the use of such service is at the author’s own expense and does not guarantee that the article will be accepted for publication.
Points to Consider
Reviewers are asked to provide detailed, constructive comments that will help the editors make a decision regarding publication and how the authors could improve their manuscript. A key issue is whether the work has serious methodological flaws that should preclude its publication, or whether additional experiments or data are required to support the conclusions. Where possible, reviewers should provide references to substantiate their comments.
Reviewers should address the points below and indicate whether they consider any required revisions to be ‘major revisions’ or ‘minor revisions.’ In general, revisions are likely to be ‘major revisions’ if additional data are required to support the claims or the interpretations are not supported by the data; if further analysis is required that may change the conclusions; or if the methods used are inadequate or contain statistical errors.
The reviewer’s letter template
Additional questions
Are there any ethical or competing interests issues you would like to raise?
The study should adhere to the ethical standards of biomedical research, and the authors should declare that they have received ethics approval and/or patient consent for the study, where appropriate. Though we do not expect reviewers to delve into authors’ competing interests, if you are aware of any issues that you do not think have been adequately addressed, please inform the editorial office.
When to request revisions?
Reviewers may recommend revisions for any or all of the following reasons: data need to be added to support the authors’ conclusions; better justification is needed for the arguments based on existing data; or the clarity and/or coherence of the paper needs to be improved.
Reviewers are reminded of the importance of timely reviews
Confidentiality
Any manuscript sent for peer review is a confidential document and should remain so until it is formally published.
