Reviewing a manuscript

IJMT uses double-blind review: you do not see who wrote the paper, and the authors never learn who reviewed it. You do not need an account on the portal to review.

The handling editor contacts you in one of two ways:

• By email — the usual way. You reply by email and the editor records your report.
• With a personal review link — you open the link, read the manuscript and submit your report on the portal.

1. 1Reply to the editor’s invitation to accept or decline, declare any conflict of interest and agree a deadline.
2. 2Read only the anonymised manuscript you were sent.
3. 3Write your report with two clearly separated parts: comments for the author, and confidential comments for the editors.
4. 4If you annotate the manuscript, remove your name from the comments and from the file’s properties.
5. 5Email your report to the handling editor by the agreed date.

1. 1Open the link in your invitation email. It is personal — do not forward it.
2. 2Read the abstract and deadline, then choose Accept and start reviewing, or Decline… (a reason is optional and helps the editor).
3. 3Download the anonymised manuscript.
4. 4Choose your recommendation and write your comments for the author. Scores and confidential comments to the editors are optional.
5. 5Choose Save draft before leaving — drafts also save automatically. Open the same link to continue.
6. 6Optionally attach an annotated PDF or Word file. It goes to the author, so keep confidential remarks out of it.
7. 7Confirm the conflict-of-interest and confidentiality declaration and choose Submit review.

• A short summary of the paper in your own words.
• Its main strengths, and the most important problems in order of importance.
• Specific, numbered requests the authors can act on.
• Your recommendation: accept, minor revision, major revision or decline — with reasons in the confidential section if needed.
• Never try to identify the authors, and keep the manuscript confidential.