Integrity |
Peer review addresses the integrity of the work
under review when it focuses on ensuring that researchers publish an
accurate, verifiable, and complete representation of how they did their
work and the outcome. |
Ethics |
Peer review addresses the ethics of the work under
review when it establishes that the work was conducted responsibly.
Journals use peer review to check that the work they consider publishing
was conducted in a way that treated participants (people, animals), the
environment, and colleagues responsibly, in a way that minimizes harm
and meets community expectations (self‐regulation) and regulatory
requirements. |
Fairness |
Peer review is conducted fairly when it considers
papers on their own merit, without regard for the identity of the
author(s) or the reviewers’ and editors’ own interests. Fairness is also
rooted in a straightforward moral axiom (‘treat others as you would like
to be treated’). |
Usefulness |
Peer review is useful when it benefits all
stakeholders in the process. It means providing constructive feedback to
authors so that they can improve the clarity and accuracy of their
research article and report their work in the best possible way. It
means providing reviewers with concise and easily accessible guidance on
assessing papers. It means a final article that makes an important
addition to the literature. |
Timeliness |
Peer review is conducted in a timely manner when
an outcome is reached quickly, without compromising the focus on
integrity and ethics or the usefulness and fairness of the review
process. Timely publication means research results are published when
they are most relevant for further research. |