Instructions to Reviewers
Manuscript Review Guidelines
1. Brief Summary of Manuscript:
Intent of the Study: Begin with a concise summary of the manuscript's purpose, highlighting the study's objectives and research focus.
Conclusions: Outline the key conclusions drawn by the authors based on their study findings.
Previous Publication: Express whether you believe this study has been previously published, in whole or in part, and if so, provide relevant details.
2. The Title:
Title Reflecting Content: Assess whether the title effectively represents the content and scope of the manuscript.
3. The Keywords:
Appropriateness of Keywords: Evaluate whether the chosen keywords are relevant and appropriate to the subject matter.
4. The Abstract:
Structure: Determine if the abstract is well-structured and organized.
Adequate Summary: Assess if the abstract provides a comprehensive summary of the entire manuscript.
Comprehensibility: Evaluate whether the abstract can be understood without the need to read the entire manuscript.
Outcome Measures and Statistics: Check if the abstract specifies outcome measures and includes essential statistical information.
Consistency with the Manuscript: Identify any discrepancies between the abstract and the rest of the paper.
5. The Introduction:
Brevity: Assess the brevity of the introduction.
Rationale: Determine if the rationale for the study is clearly explained and based on a review of relevant literature.
Study Purpose: Evaluate whether the purpose of the study is well-defined, including a clear hypothesis if applicable.
6. Materials and Methods:
Appropriateness of Methods: Determine if the methods chosen are suitable for testing the stated hypothesis.
Reproducibility: Assess if the methods are described in a way that would allow another investigator to replicate the study.
Sample/Participant Recruitment: Check if the sample or participant recruitment is described in detail, including inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Ethical Considerations: Verify if the authors have obtained informed consent and ethical committee approval when relevant.
Data Acquisition and Evaluation: Evaluate whether the data acquisition and evaluation methods are clearly specified.
Statistical Methods: Assess the clarity and appropriateness of the statistical methods used.
7. Results:
Clarity: Determine if the results are presented in a clear and understandable manner.
Order of Presentation: Check if the order of presentation of the results parallels the order of presentation of the methods.
Convincing Results: Assess whether the results are convincing and reasonable.
Appropriate Discussion: Identify if all results are adequately discussed in the methods section.
8. Discussion:
Conciseness: Evaluate the conciseness of the discussion section.
Key Findings: Check if the discussion begins with the most important finding and summarizes key results.
Relation to Literature: Assess whether the discussion compares the results with the relevant literature.
Justification of Conclusions: Determine if the conclusions are justified by the study's results.
Explanation of Unexpected Results: Ensure that unexpected results are explained sufficiently.
Clinical Applicability: Check if the clinical applicability of the study findings is discussed.
Stating Limitations: Verify if the limitations of the study are clearly stated.
9. Figures and Graphs:
Inclusion and Labeling: Ensure that all figures mentioned in the text are included and correctly labeled.
Correctness: Check if the figures and graphs are accurate.
Number of Figures: Ensure that the number of figures complies with journal guidelines.
Clarity of Presentation: Assess if figures and graphs effectively convey important results.
Legend Self-sufficiency: Verify if figure legends are self-sufficient and understandable without reference to the rest of the manuscript.
10. Tables:
Relevance: Determine if the tables appropriately describe the results.
Abbreviations Explanation: Check if any abbreviations used in the tables are explained at the bottom.
11. References:
Style Compliance: Ensure that the reference list follows the journal's style guidelines.
Number of References: Verify if the number of references adheres to journal guidelines.
Mistakes: Identify any obvious mistakes in the reference list.
Completeness: Assess if any important references need to be added.
12. Final Appraisal and Decision:
Major Strengths and Weaknesses: Summarize the major strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript.
Decision Criteria: Base your decision on the following questions:
- Does the manuscript provide novel information not already available in the literature?
- Is there a solid rationale for conducting the study?
- Is the data analysis appropriate?
- Are the results clear and accurate?
- Is the article scientifically acceptable, even if the text needs improvement?