Reviewer's Guidelines

International Journal of Discovery in Social Sciences follows the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers, which set out the basic principles and standards to which all peer reviewers should adhere during the double-blind peer-review process. Peer reviewers should: 

  • only agree to review manuscripts for which they have the subject expertise prerequisite to carry out a proper assessment, and which they can assess on time
  • respect the confidentiality of peer review and not reveal any details of a manuscript or its review, during or after the peer-review process, beyond those that are released by the journal
  • not use information obtained during the peer-review process for their own or any other person’s or organization’s advantage, or to disadvantage or discredit others
  • declare all potential conflicting interests, seeking advice from the journal if they are unsure whether something constitutes a relevant interest
  • not allow their reviews to be influenced by the origins of a manuscript, by the nationality, religious or political beliefs, gender, or other characteristics of the authors, or by commercial considerations
  • be objective and constructive in their reviews, refraining from being hostile or inflammatory and from making slanderous or derogatory personal comments
  • acknowledge that peer review is largely a reciprocal endeavour and undertake to carry out their fair share of reviewing, and promptly
  • recognize that impersonation of another individual during the review process is considered serious misconduct

The following situations are considered conflicts and should be avoided:

  • Co-authoring publications with at least one of the authors in the past two years
  • Being colleagues within the same section/department or similar organizational unit in the past two years
  • Supervised doctoral work of the author(s) or being supervised by the author(s)
  • Received professional or personal benefit resulting from the review
  • Have a personal relationship (e.g., family, close friend) with the author(s)
  • Have a direct or indirect financial interest in the paper being reviewed