10 tips on how to be an ethical reviewer
By Kanika Kamboj
At SAGE, ethical peer review is a cornerstone to ensure impactful and high-quality research publishing. SAGE is committed to ethical peer review and is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). SAGE strongly believes in disseminating rigorously peer reviewed research whose contributions are beneficial to the public, educators, and researchers alike.
The following tips on how to be an ethical reviewer are intended to enable you to contribute to the scholarly conversation in a positive and constructive way:
1) Declare any CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
You should not be associated with the author personally, professionally, or financially.
Do not agree to review a manuscript when you: just wish to refer to the research; have no intentions to submit a review; or are working on or have recently submitted something similar.
Immediately declare to the editor if there is a conflict of interest.
2) Maintain CONFIDENTIALITY
Do not discuss the research work with anyone aside from the editor.
Refrain from sharing the research work with anyone else.
Do not use information received for peer review for your own or anyone else’s advantage or disadvantage.
3) Flag ETHICAL CONCERNS
Note any similarity between the research work and another published/non-published work submitted to another journal, or any misconduct in the submission.
Immediately contact the editor if you have any concerns about the integrity of the paper.
Cooperate with the journal editorial office and publisher, and keep it confidential.
4) Abide by ANONYMITY
Maintain the anonymity of authors and/or reviewers if required by the journal.
If you wish for your comments to be kept anonymous, and the journal does not engage in transparent peer review, do not include any identifying information in your review comments/feedback.
5) Do a FAIR ASSESSMENT OF RESEARCH
Complete a fair assessment of the strengths and areas of developments of the research work.
Provide your own, original review for the research work.
6) Stay UNBIASED
Don’t allow biases about the author’s gender, nationality, professional status and religious or political beliefs impact your review.
7) Establish OBTAINED PERMISSION
Do not contact authors without editor’s permission.
Seek editor’s permission if you wish to include a colleague or mentee in the review, or plan to solicit help from another individual for support with the completion of your review.
8) Conduct with TRANSPARENCY
Accept the invitation to review only if you have the subject knowledge and can deliver an informed evaluation.
Notify the editor if you do not have the necessary expertise to assess relevant aspects of the research work.
9) Deliver OBJECTIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK
Ensure you provide objective, unbiased review comments/feedback on the research work.
Support your review with relevant data/evidence and any appropriate references to help editors with their decisions.
Provide feedback intending to aid authors to improve.
Refrain from disparaging the authors. Keep your comments professional and constructive.
10) Adhere to TIMELINES
Accept the invitation to review only if you can meet the defined timeline, or check with the editor if you’d like to complete the review but anticipate in advance that you will need additional time.
Inform the editor promptly if you have already agreed to review and require an extension to the deadline for your review comments.
Refrain from any intentional delay.
Reviewers play a critical role within the scholarly communication ecosystem. We encourage you to explore the resources available to reviewers in the SAGE Reviewer Gateway for more information and resources to support both new and experienced reviewers alike.
SAGE is a proud partner and contributor to Peer Review Week. Browse more content here.
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