审稿报告和学术论文一样，都体现了撰写人的学术水平和素养，需要认真对待。另一方面，安排我们审稿的Associate Editor往往也是同一领域的大同行，我们自己投到该期刊的论文，大多也会被安排到这个Associate Editor手中。因此他/她对我们提交的审稿报告质量的判断，也许会影响到将来我们投到该期刊的论文。

下面是IPO给的“How to write a referee report”，取出来记录在这里，写审稿报告时候可以看一看，作为对自己的提醒。

Start your report by briefly summarizing the purpose and results of the paper. This shows the authors and Editors of the journal that you have read and understood the work. In addition it is a useful summary of the results for the Editors.

It is especially important to:

•   give your opinion of the level of interest and novelty of the work

•   provide full references to earlier work if you believe the research does not add anything new

•   be clear about what is needed to bring a paper up to the required quality standards for publication, if you think the work could eventually be published

•   be specific about what is particularly interesting or good about a paper

•   be specific in any criticism. Do not just say “This result is wrong” but say why it is wrong: “This result is wrong because…” for example “the following assumptions are invalid” or “they neglected this important factor” or “their method of collecting or analyzing data is flawed” etc.

•   clearly discuss any changes that you feel should be made to the manuscript

•   include details of any references that the authors neglected to include or any of the references that are inaccurate

•   be professional and polite in your report. Do not make personal comments or criticize the authors individually.

Is the English understandable?

There is no need to correct every spelling or grammatical error in the paper. However, it is helpful to point out where the scientific meaning is unclear.

Recommendation

Finally you should make a recommendation to the journal. The Editors of the journal will decide whether to reject, accept or reassess the work after changes are made based on the reports and recommendations of the referee(s).

DO...

•    send your report on or before the agreed deadline

•    keep the journal informed about the progress of the report

•    follow the instructions sent from the journal

•    contact the journal if you have any questions

•    give examples to make your meaning clear

•   comment on what is interesting, important, novel or significant about the work (if anything)

•    be unbiased and objective

DON’T...

•    do nothing! If you are unable or unwilling to referee the paper tell the journal.

•    agree to report but then fail to send it. Instead ask for more time or let the journal know you can no longer report.

•    contact the authors under any circumstances. If you have a question for the authors, ask the journal to forward it.

•    make statements/claims about the work without providing an explanation and evidence

•    personally criticize any of the authors

•    just focus on correcting English; be sure to comment on quality of research

•    recommend accepting or rejecting the paper without giving reasons