Version 2026-10-10 · last changed 10 October 2026
The reviewer’s role
Reviewing for Science Catalogs journals is voluntary. Reviewers receive a reviewer certificate after completing 4 reviews in a calendar year.
Reviewers are independent researchers who assess manuscripts in their field and advise the handling editor. Editors make the final decision; reviewers help them make a fair, well-informed one and help authors improve their work.
When you are approved as a reviewer for a journal, its editors may invite you to review manuscripts that match the expertise you listed. Each invitation is separate: you can accept or decline it.
Responsibilities
- Assess the work on its merits: originality, soundness of methods, validity of conclusions, clarity, and compliance with research ethics.
- Be constructive and specific. Explain problems and suggest how they could be fixed; avoid personal remarks.
- Accept only what you can assess. Decline an invitation if the topic is outside your expertise or you cannot meet the deadline.
- Give a clear recommendation (accept, minor revision, major revision or reject) with reasons, plus any confidential comments for the editor.
- Review revised versions of manuscripts you reviewed, when asked, to check that your comments were addressed.
Timelines
- Reply to an invitation within 3 days.
- Submit your report by the due date in the invitation, normally 21 days (revised versions are usually shorter).
- If you need more time, ask the editor before the deadline.
All invitations, files and reports are handled in JournalOS, the Science Catalogs submission system.
Confidentiality and ethics
- Confidentiality. Manuscripts are confidential. Do not share them, discuss them with others, or use unpublished findings in your own work.
- No AI uploads. Do not upload manuscripts or any part of them to AI tools or other external services.
- Conflicts of interest. Declare and decline if you have a recent collaboration, shared institution, personal relationship, or financial or competing interest with the authors.
- Anonymity. Most journals use double-anonymised review. Do not try to identify the authors or contact them.
- Concerns. Tell the editor confidentially if you suspect plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate publication or other misconduct.
Science Catalogs follows the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
A voluntary role
Reviewing is voluntary. Reviewers receive no payment, fee, honorarium or other financial benefit, and Science Catalogs never charges reviewers anything. Being a reviewer is not employment and does not create a contract of employment.
You can stop reviewing at any time by declining invitations or asking the editorial office to remove you from a journal’s reviewer list.
Certificates and recognition
- You receive a reviewer certificate after completing 4 reviews in a calendar year (1 January to 31 December), across Science Catalogs journals.
- A review counts as completed when your report is submitted and accepted by the handling editor.
- Certificates carry your name, SciNexID and the year, and can be verified with the editorial office.
Who can apply
- Researchers with a doctorate, or an equivalent record of peer-reviewed publications, in the journal’s subject area.
- An active SciNexID profile with your current institution.
How to apply
- Open the journal you want to review for from the journals list and choose Become a reviewer.
- Verify your SciNexID with a code from your e-mail or authenticator app.
- Confirm your profile, add your expertise and experience, and accept these terms.
- The editorial office reviews your application, usually within 10 working days, and e-mails you the decision.
Editors and editorial board members are appointed by invitation from the editorial office.