Reviewer Guidelines

Reviewer Guidelines

Research Floor relies on the expertise and dedication of our peer reviewers to maintain the quality and integrity of the scientific record. These guidelines are designed to help reviewers understand their role, responsibilities, and the expectations of the review process.

1. Before You Accept

When you receive an invitation to review, please consider the following before accepting:

• Expertise: Are you qualified to evaluate the manuscript? Please only accept invitations where you have relevant expertise.
• Conflict of Interest: Do you have any financial, professional, or personal conflicts that could affect your objectivity? Declare any conflicts promptly.
• Availability: Can you complete the review within the requested timeframe? Most journals require reviews within 2–3 weeks.
• Competing Manuscripts: If you are working on a similar project, you may need to recuse yourself to avoid bias.

2. Conducting the Review

Once you accept, please follow these steps to conduct a thorough and constructive review:

• Read the Manuscript Carefully: Take notes and identify key strengths and weaknesses.
• Evaluate the Research: Assess the originality, significance, methodology, and clarity of the work.
• Check for Ethical Compliance: Ensure the research adheres to ethical standards (e.g., human/animal subject protections, data integrity).
• Prepare Your Review: Organize your feedback into clear sections: summary, major concerns, minor concerns, and recommendations.
• Be Constructive: Provide specific, actionable feedback that will help the authors improve their manuscript.

3. Key Areas to Assess

When evaluating a manuscript, consider the following aspects:

• Originality: Is the research novel? Does it contribute new knowledge to the field?
• Methodology: Are the methods appropriate, well-described, and rigorously applied?
• Data Analysis: Are the statistical methods valid? Are the results properly interpreted?
• Clarity & Structure: Is the manuscript well-written, logically organized, and easy to follow?
• References: Are the key references cited? Are there any missing relevant works?
• Figures & Tables: Are they clear, accurate, and appropriately labeled?

4. Writing Your Review

Structure your review to be helpful and professional:

• Summary: Provide a brief overview of the manuscript and its main findings.
• Major Concerns: Identify significant issues that must be addressed (e.g., methodological flaws, missing data, incorrect analysis).
• Minor Concerns: Point out smaller issues like grammatical errors, unclear phrasing, or minor omissions.
• Recommendation: Suggest one of the following: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.

5. After Submission

Once you submit your review, the editorial team will evaluate it alongside other reviewers' feedback. You may be contacted for clarifications or invited to review revised versions of the manuscript.

If you have any questions during the review process, please contact the editorial office at reviewers@researchfloor.com.