Page 1 - Ethical_guidelines_for_peer_reviewers_0

COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

Irene Hames on behalf of COPE Council
March 2013, v.1

Peer review in all its forms plays an important role in ensuring the integrity of the scholarly record. The
process depends to a large extent on trust, and requires that everyone involved behaves responsibly and
ethically. Peer reviewers play a central and critical part in the peer-review process, but too often come to the
role without any guidance and may be unaware of their ethical obligations. The COPE Ethical Guidelines for
Peer Reviewers set out the basic principles and standards to which all peer reviewers should adhere during
the peer-review process. It is hoped they will provide helpful guidance to researchers, be a reference for
journals and editors in guiding their reviewers, and act as an educational resource for institutions in training

their students and researchers.

Basic principles to which peer reviewers should adhere

Peer reviewers should:

t only agree to review manuscripts for which they have the subject expertise required to carry out a proper
assessment and which they can assess in a timely manner

t 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

t 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

t declare all potential conflicting interests, seeking advice from the journal if they are unsure whether
something constitutes a relevant interest

t 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

t be objective and constructive in their reviews, refraining from being hostile or inflammatory and from
making libellous or derogatory personal comments

t acknowledge that peer review is largely a reciprocal endeavour and undertake to carry out their fair share
of reviewing and in a timely manner

t provide journals with personal and professional information that is accurate and a true representation of
their expertise

t recognize that impersonation of another individual during the review process is considered serious
misconduct

WWW.PUBLICATIONETHICS.ORG