Reviewer Guidelines
IEJMS uses a standardised review framework so that every manuscript is judged against the same criteria. Please read these notes before accepting an invitation.
Before you accept
- Expertise — accept only if the manuscript falls within your area. If part of it is outside your expertise, say so, and review the part you can judge.
- Conflicts — decline, or disclose to the editor, if you have a close personal, professional, financial or competitive relationship with any author, have collaborated with them recently, or have a stake in the outcome. See the Conflict of Interest Policy.
- Time — we ask for reviews within 3 weeks. If you cannot meet that, decline promptly so the manuscript is not delayed, and suggest an alternative reviewer if you can.
What to assess
| Criterion | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| Originality | Is the contribution genuine, clearly stated, and new relative to the existing literature? |
| Methodological rigour | Are the methods appropriate to the question, and described in enough detail to be reproduced? |
| Validity of results | Do the data actually support the conclusions? Are statistics and error analysis appropriate? |
| Literature | Is prior work fairly and adequately cited? |
| Clarity | Is the manuscript clearly written, logically structured, and are figures and tables legible and necessary? |
| Ethics | Are approvals, consent, conflicts, data availability and AI use adequately declared? |
Writing the review
- Separate essential revisions from optional suggestions so the authors and editor can tell them apart.
- Be specific: cite page, line, figure or equation numbers.
- Critique the work, not the authors. Reviews must be professional and courteous.
- Do not demand citations to your own work unless it is genuinely essential to the argument.
- Give the editor a recommendation: accept · minor revision · major revision · reject. The final decision rests with the editor.
Confidentiality
A manuscript under review is a confidential document. Do not share it, discuss it with anyone not involved in the review, or use its unpublished content in your own work. Do not upload it into public AI or language-model tools — see the AI Use Policy. Destroy or delete your copy after submitting the review.
If you suspect misconduct — plagiarism, image
manipulation, fabricated data or duplicate publication — do not confront the authors.
Report it confidentially to the handling editor with the evidence you have.