Aspects of Being a Referee
Why Referee?
Being a referee requires volunteering of time within an otherwise busy schedule. So why do many in our community perform this service? Most importantly, peer review helps maintain the quality of the archival literature. Peer review is a standard of credibility that carries the weight and impact of a learned, professional community of scholars.
Being a referee is also a way to keep in touch with the most recent work. Some feel an opportunity to represent their opinion to the field, thereby helping to steer the course of discussions and promote content they think will have high impact. Many benefit from the ASC community and welcome the opportunity to contribute service in return.
Aspects of Being a Referee
Peer review is an important part of the scientific process. The integrity of referees underpins all of these aspects. High standards of ethical behavior, avoidance of conflicts of interest, and adherence to confidentiality and anonymity are of utmost importance.
IEEE TAS uses a model of closed peer review – referees are not known to the author. For ASC 2012, the expected peer review process is discussed here. The role of a referee is to provide an opinion to the editor. There are three important components to this opinion:
• The review form facilitates providing information thought to be most important for the editor.
• However, editors and authors cannot read the referee’s mind. Thus, written comments are a necessity in addition to completion of check boxes on the review form. Comments to the author will be transmitted anonymously. You should use this space to provide objective feedback on the technical content of the paper.
• Comments to the editor are also vital. Even an opinion to “publish without changes” requires an explanation why a referee thinks so highly of the paper. Since the editor is both the final adjudicator of the paper as well as the moderator of the discussion between authors and referees, your comments here could provide helpful guidance. Comments to the editor are not transmitted to the author unless you specifically instruct the editor to consider transmission.
A good referee examines the paper objectively. The referee’s opinion should focus on the technical content and presentation, and should not reflect on the authors or the institution.
Also, a good referee is responsive, even if the communication is a simple acknowledgment of acceptance of a task or reply of unavailability or conflict of interest.
Most Important Aspects of Being a Referee for the Special Issue
• The special issue must be completed under a short timeline. Referees must be responsive and attentive to deadlines.
• Referees should also update availability status and contact information in Manuscript Central to avoid delays. Papers that fall into a “black hole” of non-communication have been one of the largest causes of delay for past ASC’s.
• The sheer number of manuscripts and the limited pool of referees may require technical editors to ask reviewers to examine multiple papers. Understanding and accommodation of these circumstances by referees is important to the success of the peer review process.
• Referees should review the editorial policies for the special issue.
• Referees may make editorial suggestions and corrections to manuscripts, although referees are not required to mark up manuscripts. A copy of the mark-up should be attached to the review form.