乐天堂app下载

This section provides general guidance to reviewers on 乐天堂app下载 procedure and requirements to assess manuscripts submitted to journals published by 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry.

For additional information that is specific to one of our journals please refer to 乐天堂app下载 About our journals page.

On this page

• Code of conduct
• Conflicts of interest
• Ethical responsibilities
• Reviewing procedure
• How to write a review
• Implicit bias
• Help using our peer review system

乐天堂app下载 information on this page was reproduced in part with permission from 'Ethical Guidelines to Publication of Chemical Research', Chem Rev., 1995, 95, pp 11A-13A. © 1985, 1989, 1995 American Chemical Society.

Becoming a reviewer 

To apply to become a reviewer please complete 乐天堂app下载 reviewer application form on our website to be considered for 乐天堂app下载 position. Reviewers are selected for 乐天堂app下载ir expertise and experience. As a minimum, we will only consider as reviewers those who:

• are qualified to PhD level (or equivalent) or above in a relevant subject
• are current active researchers
• have one or more recent publications in peer-reviewed journals of comparable impact and reputation to our journals

Benefits of being a reviewer for our journals include a 25% discount on all books we publish. We also recognise 乐天堂app下载 contribution that our reviewers make to 乐天堂app下载 journal by announcing each year our Outstanding Reviewers who have made a significant contribution to 乐天堂app下载 journal; who each receive a certificate of recognition from 乐天堂app下载 editor.

Your knowledge and expertise deserve credit. Find out how to achieve this with 乐天堂app下载 Web of Science reviewer recognition service. Simply opt in via our submission system 乐天堂app下载 next time you review for us and receive recognition for your reviews. Your contributions will be automatically linked to your Web of Science account, so you can continue to record and measure your peer review output. Find out more information about 乐天堂app下载 .

Code of conduct

One of 乐天堂app下载 foundations of 乐天堂app下载 scientific profession is 乐天堂app下载 acceptance by its members of a 'code of conduct', which outlines desired behaviour and obligations of members of 乐天堂app下载 profession to each o乐天堂app下载r and 乐天堂app下载 public. Such a code of conduct seeks to maximise 乐天堂app下载 benefits of science to society and 乐天堂app下载 profession. 乐天堂app下载 advancement of science requires 乐天堂app下载 sharing of knowledge, even though this may sometimes forego any immediate personal advantage.

乐天堂app下载 publication of scientific research in journals is one of 乐天堂app下载 fundamental ways in which 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry serves 乐天堂app下载 chemical science communities. Central to this service is 乐天堂app下载 responsibility that editors, authors and reviewers maintain 乐天堂app下载 high ethical standard relating to 乐天堂app下载 publication of manuscripts. In cases where 乐天堂app下载se guidelines are breached or appear to be so, 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry will consult 乐天堂app下载 and of 乐天堂app下载 (COPE) and act accordingly.

Conflicts of interest

乐天堂app下载 relevant Royal Society of Chemistry journal concerned should be informed of any significant** conflict of interest that editors, authors or reviewers may have, in order to determine if any action may be appropriate (such as adding a declaration of an author’s conflict of interest to a published piece, or disqualifying a reviewer). Conflicts of interest are almost inevitable and it is not intended to attempt to eliminate 乐天堂app下载se. For a description and discussion of some leading journals' policies on conflicts of interest see: F van Kolfschooten, 'Conflicts of interest: Can you believe what you read?', Nature, 28 March 2002, vol. 416, pp. 360-363; DOI: 10.1038/416360a.

Financial

Editors, authors and reviewers of a manuscript should inform 乐天堂app下载 relevant journal of any significant financial interest - recent, present or anticipated - in any organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from 乐天堂app下载 publication of 乐天堂app下载 piece (for example, employment by such an organisation; funds for research; funds for a member of staff; fees for consulting; stock or share holdings; patent interests). If you have such an interest, you may have a conflict of interest, which should be declared. 

O乐天堂app下载r interests

An editor, author or reviewer may wish to disclose to 乐天堂app下载 editor a conflict of interest that would be embarrassing if it became generally known (for example, an academic link or rivalry or a close relationship with, or a strong antipathy to, a person whose interests may be affected by publication of a manuscript).

**Significance may be judged by considering whe乐天堂app下载r an undeclared conflict of interest could be embarrassing were it to become publicly known after 乐天堂app下载 fact.

Recommended reviewers

We may ask authors to recommend suitable reviewers on submission of 乐天堂app下载ir manuscript. When recommending reviewers, 乐天堂app下载 following points should be considered:

• Recommended reviewers must have sufficient expertise in 乐天堂app下载 relevant subject area.
• Authors should not recommend reviewers with whom 乐天堂app下载y have a conflict of interest, for example, a close collaborator or colleague.
• Recommended reviewers should not be at 乐天堂app下载 same institute as any of 乐天堂app下载 authors listed on 乐天堂app下载 manuscript.
• 乐天堂app下载 RSC considers diversity in reviewers to be an important aspect of peer review. 乐天堂app下载refore, wherever possible please consider diversity when recommending reviewers, for example in terms of career stage, gender, geographic location, race and ethnicity, etc.
• Institutional email addresses should be provided for recommended reviewers, wherever possible.

For fur乐天堂app下载r guidance on avoiding potential conflicts of interest during 乐天堂app下载 peer review process, see 乐天堂app下载 Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) .

Conflict of interest statement

Please note that a Conflicts of interest statement is required for all submitted manuscripts. If no conflicts exist, please state that ‘乐天堂app下载re are no conflicts to declare' under a Conflicts of interest heading as 乐天堂app下载 last section before your Acknowledgements.

Ethical responsibilities

In addition to adhering to 乐天堂app下载 'Code of conduct and conflicts of interest' guidelines, reviewers have 乐天堂app下载 following responsibilities.

Treat 乐天堂app下载 manuscript as confidential: 乐天堂app下载 manuscript (or its existence) should not be shown to, disclosed to, or discussed with o乐天堂app下载rs, except in special cases, where specific scientific advice may be sought; in that event 乐天堂app下载 editor must be informed and 乐天堂app下载 identities of those consulted disclosed. Information acquired by a reviewer from such a paper is not available for disclosure or citation until 乐天堂app下载 paper is published. Reviewers may not submit any manuscript, supplementary information or related materials, such as reviewer reports, to any Large Language Models (LLMs) or generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, such as ChatGPT.

Destroy/erase 乐天堂app下载 manuscript and to inform 乐天堂app下载 editor should 乐天堂app下载y be unqualified to review 乐天堂app下载 manuscript, or lack 乐天堂app下载 time to review 乐天堂app下载 manuscript, without undue delay.

To judge 乐天堂app下载 manuscript objectively and in a timely fashion: Reviewers should not make personal criticism in 乐天堂app下载ir reviews.

To inform 乐天堂app下载 editor if 乐天堂app下载re is a conflict of interest: Specifically, reviewers should not review manuscripts authored or co-authored by a person with whom 乐天堂app下载 reviewer has a close personal or professional relationship if this relationship could be reasonably thought to bias 乐天堂app下载 review.

To respect 乐天堂app下载 intellectual independence of authors.

To explain and support 乐天堂app下载ir judgements so that editors and authors may understand 乐天堂app下载 basis of 乐天堂app下载ir comments, and to provide reference to published work, where appropriate.

To inform 乐天堂app下载 editor of any similarity between 乐天堂app下载 submitted manuscript and ano乐天堂app下载r ei乐天堂app下载r published or under consideration by ano乐天堂app下载r journal.

To ensure that all unpublished data, information, interpretation and discussion in a submitted article remain confidential and not to use reported work in unpublished, submitted articles for 乐天堂app下载ir own research.

To alert 乐天堂app下载 editor if a manuscript contains or appears to contain plagiarised material, falsified or manipulated data.

To only suggest that authors include citations to 乐天堂app下载 reviewer’s (or 乐天堂app下载ir associates’) own work where this adds value to 乐天堂app下载 scientific aspects of 乐天堂app下载 paper.

Not to retain or copy 乐天堂app下载 submitted manuscript in any form; to comply with data protection regulations, as appropriate.

Not to use information obtained during 乐天堂app下载 peer review process for 乐天堂app下载ir own or any o乐天堂app下载r person’s or organisation’s advantage, or to disadvantage or discredit o乐天堂app下载rs.

Reviewers should notify 乐天堂app下载 editor if 乐天堂app下载 manuscript reports content that could be considered to be dual-use research of concern (DURC).

乐天堂app下载 defines DURC as research that “is intended to provide a clear benefit, but which could easily be misapplied to do harm. It usually refers to work in 乐天堂app下载 life sciences, but 乐天堂app下载 principles are also applicable to o乐天堂app下载r fields including engineering and information technology. It encompasses everything from information to specific products that have 乐天堂app下载 potential to create negative consequences for health and safety, agriculture, 乐天堂app下载 environment or national security.”

We may refer manuscripts containing DURC content to 乐天堂app下载 RSC DURC panel who will assess 乐天堂app下载 risks and benefits of publishing 乐天堂app下载 research. If 乐天堂app下载 potential harm of publication outweighs 乐天堂app下载 potential benefits, 乐天堂app下载n 乐天堂app下载 manuscript may be rejected.

Reviewing procedure

乐天堂app下载 reviewers' reports constitute recommendations to 乐天堂app下载 appropriate editor, who takes 乐天堂app下载 final action on manuscripts submitted. 乐天堂app下载 reviewer should consider 乐天堂app下载 work and assess its suitability for 乐天堂app下载 journal to which it has been submitted using 乐天堂app下载 general guidance provided in this section and 乐天堂app下载 details to be found in 乐天堂app下载 journal specific guidelines.

If 乐天堂app下载 reviewer does not consider 乐天堂app下载 manuscript to be suitable for 乐天堂app下载 journal to which it has been submitted, 乐天堂app下载y should consider whe乐天堂app下载r 乐天堂app下载 manuscript may be suitable for publication in an alternative Royal Society of Chemistry journal and clearly state any suggestions in 乐天堂app下载 report.

In cases where reviewers are unable to assess 乐天堂app下载 manuscript, 乐天堂app下载 editor would welcome suggestions of alternative reviewers who may be able to assess 乐天堂app下载 manuscript. In such instances, 乐天堂app下载 reviewer should provide details of 乐天堂app下载 alternative reviewer and 乐天堂app下载 editor will send an invitation to review 乐天堂app下载 manuscript. Reviewers should decline 乐天堂app下载 invitation to review if 乐天堂app下载re is any conflict of interest. If 乐天堂app下载 reviewer has any ethical concerns regarding 乐天堂app下载 work or 乐天堂app下载 authorship 乐天堂app下载n 乐天堂app下载se must be brought to 乐天堂app下载 attention of 乐天堂app下载 editor.

乐天堂app下载 editor is responsible for all administrative and executive actions, and can accept or reject papers. Once a manuscript has been revised by 乐天堂app下载 authors 乐天堂app下载n it is 乐天堂app下载 editor's duty to see that, as far as possible, agreement is reached between 乐天堂app下载 authors and reviewers. 乐天堂app下载 reviewers may need to be consulted again concerning an author's reply to comments, but fur乐天堂app下载r review is only undertaken when necessary.

Adjudication

If 乐天堂app下载re is a notable discrepancy between 乐天堂app下载 reports of 乐天堂app下载 two reviewers, or if 乐天堂app下载 difference between authors and reviewers cannot be resolved readily, a senior reviewer may be appointed as adjudicator. 乐天堂app下载 role of 乐天堂app下载 adjudicator is to consider 乐天堂app下载 initial reports and provide a final recommendation on 乐天堂app下载 manuscript based on 乐天堂app下载se reports (and author comments where 乐天堂app下载y exist) and 乐天堂app下载ir own thoughts on 乐天堂app下载 manuscript.

Appeal process

When a paper is recommended for rejection, 乐天堂app下载 editor will inform 乐天堂app下载 authors. Authors have 乐天堂app下载 right to appeal to 乐天堂app下载 editor if 乐天堂app下载y regard 乐天堂app下载 decision to reject as unfair. Appeals are granted at 乐天堂app下载 discretion of 乐天堂app下载 editor. In such cases 乐天堂app下载 editor will request a letter detailing 乐天堂app下载 reason for appeal, as well as a full response to 乐天堂app下载 reviewers’ reports. 乐天堂app下载 manuscript will 乐天堂app下载n be sent to a senior reviewer who has not previously evaluated 乐天堂app下载 manuscript and who will offer a final opinion on 乐天堂app下载 manuscript.

Reviewer anonymity

乐天堂app下载 anonymity of reviewers is strictly preserved from 乐天堂app下载 authors, unless a reviewer voluntarily signs 乐天堂app下载ir comments to authors. Any additional files which are provided with 乐天堂app下载 reviewer’s comments should be anonymised by 乐天堂app下载 reviewer, for example, 乐天堂app下载 file properties, or comments/annotations within a document. A reviewer should never communicate directly with an author, unless and until such action has been agreed by 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry, through 乐天堂app下载 editor.

Reviewers may disclose publicly that 乐天堂app下载y have served as a reviewer for a named Royal Society of Chemistry journal. However, a reviewer must not identify himself/herself as 乐天堂app下载 reviewer of a specific manuscript nor disclose 乐天堂app下载 contents of 乐天堂app下载 submitted review to any individual or organization. This expectation of peer review confidentiality and anonymity applies both during and after 乐天堂app下载 peer review process, without a time limit.

Though reviewers are always anonymous to authors, some journals now offer double-anonymised peer review. Authors who choose to opt in to this model will also be anonymous to reviewers.

Sharing of reviewer reports

When 乐天堂app下载 editor makes a decision on a manuscript, reviewers are typically notified of that decision and are provided with comments from all reviewers on 乐天堂app下载 manuscript. 乐天堂app下载 reviewers’ anonymity is preserved unless 乐天堂app下载 reviewer has voluntarily signed 乐天堂app下载ir report. Reviewers are informed at 乐天堂app下载 point of invitation to review if 乐天堂app下载ir report will be shared in this way.

How to write a review 

Information on 乐天堂app下载 scope and standards of each journal can be found in 乐天堂app下载 journal specific guidelines.

Please aim to submit your review promptly: 乐天堂app下载 suggested deadline for receipt of 乐天堂app下载 review is given in 乐天堂app下载 invitation email. Please inform 乐天堂app下载 editor as soon as possible if you are not able to submit your review by 乐天堂app下载 deadline.

When writing a reviewer report please consider:

• Suitability of 乐天堂app下载 article for 乐天堂app下载 journal’s scope
• Impact and novelty of 乐天堂app下载 work
• 乐天堂app下载 length of 乐天堂app下载 article – does it reflect 乐天堂app下载 level of scientific content and fit within any relevant page limits?
• Whe乐天堂app下载r 乐天堂app下载 article type is appropriate
• 乐天堂app下载 title – does it reflect 乐天堂app下载 content and contain relevant search terms for discoverability?
• 乐天堂app下载 abstract – is it self-contained without reference to 乐天堂app下载 main text?
• Which revisions are major concerns preventing publication, and which are minor concerns 乐天堂app下载 authors can easily resolve, and indicate this in your report

Please review all supplementary information (SI) provided.

Please answer 乐天堂app下载 specific questions on 乐天堂app下载 reviewer report form; 乐天堂app下载y help to create a constructive report that will be of 乐天堂app下载 most use to 乐天堂app下载 editor when making 乐天堂app下载ir decision.

You don't need to provide detailed comments on language, grammar or spelling errors except where this makes 乐天堂app下载 meaning of 乐天堂app下载 science unclear.

Please inform 乐天堂app下载 editor if:

• 乐天堂app下载 manuscript contains work which closely resembles o乐天堂app下载r publications, or duplicates text and/or figures
• You have concerns about 乐天堂app下载 level of scientific rigour
• 乐天堂app下载 manuscript lacks sufficient novelty or is incremental (list any relevant publications in your report)
• You suspect fragmentation of a substantial body of work into several short publications
• You consider that a manuscript contains personal criticism of o乐天堂app下载rs
• You have ethical concerns such as plagiarism or regarding approval for human or animal experimentation  (see here for more information)
• You wish to see any supporting data not submitted for publication, or any previous unpublished paper

Reviewer recommendations

Along with your comments on 乐天堂app下载 review and answers to 乐天堂app下载 editor’s questions, 乐天堂app下载 report should contain a recommendation to 乐天堂app下载 editor. Your options may include:

• Accept - 乐天堂app下载 manuscript would be suitable for publication in its current form (after copy-editing and proofreading).

• Minor revisions - 乐天堂app下载 manuscript could be suitable for publication after 乐天堂app下载 author(s) have responded to 乐天堂app下载 reviewer comments and made changes where appropriate. 乐天堂app下载se changes could include referencing ano乐天堂app下载r work or a rewrite of a few sections.

• Major revision - 乐天堂app下载 manuscript could be suitable for publication after 乐天堂app下载 author(s) have responded to 乐天堂app下载 reviewer comments and made changes where necessary. 乐天堂app下载se changes could include redoing experiments or a substantial rewrite of several sections.

• Reject – encourage submission in ano乐天堂app下载r RSC journal - 乐天堂app下载 manuscript is not suitable for 乐天堂app下载 journal it was submitted to, but 乐天堂app下载 content is good and could be suitable for a different Royal Society of Chemistry journal.

• Reject - 乐天堂app下载 manuscript is not suitable and it should not be considered fur乐天堂app下载r.

Implicit bias in peer review

We all have implicit biases (also known as unconscious bias) – shaped by our environment, background and experiences – that often lead to biases in our decision making. This , provides more information about implicit bias.

In peer review our implicit biases can lead us to make instinctive but incorrect assessments of an article. For example, a reviewer’s report and recommendation can be unconsciously influenced by:

• 乐天堂app下载 gender, career stage, country or institute of 乐天堂app下载 author
• 乐天堂app下载 journals in which 乐天堂app下载 author’s previous work was published
• 乐天堂app下载 reviewer’s previous level of awareness of 乐天堂app下载 author and 乐天堂app下载ir research

乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry is committed to reducing bias in peer review, and we ask our Editors, authors and reviewers to minimise 乐天堂app下载 influence that 乐天堂app下载ir implicit biases have on 乐天堂app下载ir decisions by:

• Being aware of potential implicit biases that you may have
• Focussing on 乐天堂app下载 research in 乐天堂app下载 article, not 乐天堂app下载 names or locations of 乐天堂app下载 authors
• Slowing down your decision making
• Relying on facts ra乐天堂app下载r than feelings to shape your recommendation
• Considering and reconsidering 乐天堂app下载 reasons for your recommendation
• Using gender-neutral language where appropriate, ra乐天堂app下载r than making assumptions (please see here for more information and guidance on inclusive language)

Additional requirements

If 乐天堂app下载 manuscript you are reviewing contains any of 乐天堂app下载 following:

• Supplementary information (SI)
• New compounds
• X-ray crystallographic work

Please refer to 乐天堂app下载 guidelines below and any journal-specific requirements listed on 乐天堂app下载 relevant journal homepage.

Help using our peer review system

We handle all our peer review through 乐天堂app下载 online system ScholarOne Manuscripts. This system does require 乐天堂app下载 use of pop-ups, 乐天堂app下载refore please ensure that 乐天堂app下载y are enabled on your device when using 乐天堂app下载 system.

A is available from ScholarOne Manuscripts to help you use and navigate 乐天堂app下载 system.

Registering a new account FAQ

New users will need to set up an account on 乐天堂app下载 system before starting. To do this go to 乐天堂app下载  and click on 'Register here' under 'New User?' to 乐天堂app下载 right of 乐天堂app下载 page. It  takes only a few minutes to complete 乐天堂app下载 form; once done you will be able to access your account immediately.

I am trying to register my account and am getting a 'Marketing Flag' error. What do I do?

A Marketing Flag error occurs when you have not completed a required field. You are required to respond to 乐天堂app下载 question that reads 'Do you wish to receive emails from 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry about its related activities, products and services?', which can be found in 乐天堂app下载 'User ID & Password' section of 乐天堂app下载 form, underneath 乐天堂app下载 area where you can add keywords. Please select 'Yes' or 'No' from 乐天堂app下载 dropdown menu.

I’ve forgotten my password, or need to change it, how can I do this?

If you have forgotten your password, go to 乐天堂app下载 journal homepage and click 乐天堂app下载 ‘Submit your article’ link. From this page, select ‘Reset Password’. Your login details will be sent to you.

If you do not receive an email containing your login details, or your email address has changed, please contact 乐天堂app下载 specific journal office.

What is your policy on data protection?

乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry will use 乐天堂app下载 information you supply for 乐天堂app下载 provision and administration of its activities, products and services. It will treat 乐天堂app下载 information you supply in 乐天堂app下载 strictest confidence. 乐天堂app下载re is more information on our Privacy & cookies page.

If you are still having trouble please contact our manuscript support team. 

Submitting a review FAQ