Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers
Manuscripts submitted to the journal are privileged and confidential communications. Reviewers must treat all manuscripts and the information they contain as strictly confidential. Reviewers must not publicly discuss the authors’ work or appropriate any ideas from the manuscript before its publication. After submitting the review, reviewers should destroy any paper copies and delete all electronic copies of the manuscript.
Reviewers who seek assistance from a trainee or colleague in performing a review must acknowledge that individual’s contribution in the comments submitted to the editor. Reviewers must request permission from the journal before using any artificial intelligence (AI) technology to assist with the review. Reviewers should be aware that AI-generated output may be incorrect, incomplete, or biased, and confidentiality must not be compromised.
Reviewers are expected to respond promptly to review invitations and to submit their reviews within the agreed timeframe. Comments should be constructive, honest, and polite.
For the full ICMJE guidance, see:
https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/responsibilities-in-the-submission-and-peer-peview-process.html
Conflict of Interest for Reviewers
Reviewers must declare any relationships or activities that could bias their evaluation of a manuscript. If a potential conflict of interest exists, the reviewer should recuse themselves from the review process.
Reviewers must not use knowledge of the work under review to further their own interests before the manuscript is published.
For detailed guidance, please refer to the ICMJE Recommendations: