- A chosen reviewer who considers that s/he does not have the necessary expertise or lacks the time to evaluate the research reported in a manuscript should return it promptly to the editor.
- A reviewer of a manuscript should evaluate objectively the quality of the manuscript and respect the intellectual independence of the authors.
- A reviewer should not evaluate a manuscript authored or co-authored by a close collaborator if the relationship has the potential to bias judgement of the manuscript.
- A reviewer should consider a manuscript sent for review as a confidential document.
- A reviewer should explain and support the judgements adequately so that editors and authors may understand the basis of their comments.
- A reviewer should call the editor’s attention with regard to any substantial similarity between the manuscript under consideration and any published paper or any manuscript submitted concurrently to another journal.
- A reviewer should not use or disclose unpublished information contained in a manuscript under consideration, except with the consent of the author.
- A reviewer may only suggest to the author the inclusion of additional relevant literature, taking into consideration the suggestions should be balanced (authors, journals, and institutions).