NOTES FOR EXTERNAL EXPERTS OF MANUSCRIPTS SUBMITTED TO THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY Thank you for your willingness to serve as a referee for a manuscript submitted for publication in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Your critical evaluation of this manuscript is an invaluable contribution to the quality of the Journal. There are several simple rules we ask you to apply as you review the manuscript. A. General Guidelines
B. Review Guidelines
1. The review of manuscripts is a confidential process – The author’s right to privacy should be scrupulously protected. It is inappropriate to copy a manuscript or to share its contents with others not involved in the review process.
Ask the following questions about a manuscript: 1. Scientific significance a. Is the work a significant enough advance in our knowledge to warrant publication in the Journal? b. Are the conclusions supported by the data?
2. Avoid a conflict of interest – If you feel there is a possible conflict of interest involved in the review, discuss it with the Editorial Board member who sent you the manuscript. 3. Be prompt – We ask you to review manuscripts within two weeks. If you can not meet this schedule, call the Editorial Board member who sent you the manuscript.
c. Is the material best suited for publication in the Journal or would it be more suitable for publication in another journal? 2. Clarity a. Are the experiments described presented clearly enough to be repeated by others?
4. Avoid the use of antagonizing language – A simple rule of thumb is to ask the question...would you be offended by anything in the review if it were your manuscript being evaluated?
b. Are the Figures and Tables clear and sufficiently detailed to follow? Are the Figures of publication quality? c. Is the Summary clearly written and does it clearly state the major conclusions of the work contained in the manuscript? It should be no longer than 200 words.
5. Textual corrections – Matters of form are primarily the responsibility of the Editors and the Redactory Office. However, your suggestions for changes in the text of manuscripts are usually welcomed by the authors. 6. Referee Forms – You are provided with a standardized form for your convenience in evaluating manuscripts. You are free to use another format for your report, especially since it probably will be generated by a computer. However, we would appreciate your relative evaluation of manuscripts using the review questions provided on the Referee Form. Any comments you wish to provide the Editors, which are not to be shared with the authors are welcome.
d. Is the Title clear? Does the Title contain scientific jargon and/or non-standard abbreviations? 3. Format
7. Length of manuscripts – The Journal has grown dramatically during the past decade. It is thus important that you evaluate manuscripts for economy of space. Do not be vague; provide the authors with specific recommendations for reducing the length of manuscripts.
a. Is the manuscript too long? b. Is it well written? Are there errors in syntax and/or misspellings? c. Do the authors use non-standard abbreviations? d. Are the citations to the previous literature appropriate?
The Journal of Biological Chemistry American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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