In general, however, ask yourself if the article meets the following key benchmarks: Many journals provide reviewers with criteria for evaluating each section of a manuscript. Some journals keep both the authors and the reviewers anonymous, while others give both parties the option to remain anonymous. Also, find out the journal’s policy regarding reviewer anonymity. Tailor your review precisely to fit that journal. Editors will often give you a list of instructions for your review as well. Be sure that you have a clear understanding of the journal’s intended audience. Take note of the formatting, the order of the sections and the level of detail expected in the articles. This brief text conveys confidential comments to be read only by the journal editor, including whether any element of the paper is beyond the reviewer’s area of expertise.Īfter you have read the manuscript-and before you start writing-scour the journal and pay attention to how the articles are presented. It also provides the authors with constructive feedback as well as a road map for arriving at the best possible version of their article. It summarizes the manuscript’s main points and includes general comments about the paper’s strengths and weaknesses. This section-usually one to two pages-constitutes the bulk of the review. The editor will provide you a form for rating the manuscript on a predetermined list of attributes that will lead you to answer the central question: Do you think this journal should publish the manuscript? Potential reviewers land on the radar of journal editors in a variety of ways: They may have recently landed a tenure-track position, been lead author on a standout paper or even given a compelling talk at a conference.īut how, exactly, does a reviewer approach the manuscript-review process? Here are 10 keys from editors of APA journals to guide you: 1: Get to know the review formatĪt its core, a manuscript review is made up of three sections: Reviewers get an early view of what’s happening in their fields, better insight into how the review process works and a chance to network, all of which can foster your career, says Rose Sokol-Chang, PhD, publisher of APA journals. While your first thought may be, "I don’t have time for this," reviewing manuscripts can be a great opportunity.