Reviewers

Reviewers play a vital role in the scholarly publishing process. We appreciate the time and effort our reviewers put into their critiques and greatly value their expertise. Discover tips and guidance for experienced and novice reviewers alike.

We rely on the input of reviewers for our journals – assessing the scientific rigor of the research papers during peer review. Journal peer reviewers help us and our editors decide which content should be published. For our books, reviewers help get the word out into the world about the latest publications.

REVIEW A JOURNAL ARTICLE

We publish journals in a variety of topics, with most related to biomedical and life sciences (including neurosciences, medical informatics, cancer research, rehabilitation) and physical sciences (including computer sciences, artificial intelligence, engineering). If your expertise lies in these areas, you could contribute to the publication process and become an article peer reviewer.
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The journal peer review process explained! If you have never reviewed a journal article before, perhaps the process might feel overwhelming or you might be curious about the steps that will be required. If you have already acted as a reviewer, you may want further guidance and specific information about the peer review process for our journals. We provide information to anyone invited to assess a publication detailing how to contribute constructive reviews that will stimulate discussions and the healthy development of scientific research. Our journals follow a number of peer review models and, once you accept an invitation or volunteer to be a reviewer, there are a number of stages in the process.

Interested in peer reviewing for a journal? Find out about your next step.

REVIEW A PUBLISHED BOOK

Our book portfolio covers the entire spectrum of scientific, technical, and medical subject categories. Perhaps you are interested in reviewing one of our recently published books on behalf of a journal, magazine, scholarly organization, or blog. We welcome your interest in telling the world about our new titles.
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Become a book reviewer! We are interested to hear from you if you wish to review one of our very latest titles. We will supply a free book review copy (digital or print) in anticipation that a review, news article, or interview with the author/editor will be published in exchange. We request that book reviews include the title, editors/authors, ISBN, and IOS Press as the publisher; and that the final review is submitted to us after publication. Interested? Get in touch with the marketing team via this contact form or the button below, and include "book review copy" in the subject line. In your message include: the title and ISBN of the book you are interested in reviewing; the company, journal, magazine, newspaper, or website you represent; the name of the person who will write the review (if different than the person submitting the request); and an estimate of when you expect your review to be published. We will consider all reasonable requests received and will provide the relevant content as appropriate.

REVIEWER FAQ

Do you have questions about being a reviewer for our journals? Read on to see if we have you covered. If not, just approach the journals team via the contact form and submit your question to the journals team and we'll help you find the answer.
  • I accepted an invitation to review a journal manuscript, but I need a deadline extension to submit my review. Whom should I contact about it?

    If you need more time to prepare a review report, you can always request it by contacting the journal editorial office directly using the option “send email” in Editorial Manager, or the email address provided on the journal page (if this information is available). Alternatively, you can get in touch with our journals department via this contact form. Please provide the manuscript reference number and the title of the journal.

  • I accepted an invitation to review a journal manuscript, but I am not available to review the paper anymore:

    May I ask a colleague to review on my behalf?
    In most cases you are not allowed to share information about an article under peer review, hence you cannot ask a colleague to review a paper on your behalf. If you are no longer available to review it, please contact the journal editorial office (see below).

    May I suggest a colleague to review?
    Yes, you may provide suggestions to the editor. Please contact the journal editorial office (see below).

    How can I decline an invitation to review?
    If you have already accepted an invitation to review a manuscript, but you are no longer available to review it, please contact the journal editorial office (see below).

    You can contact the journal editorial office directly (if this information is available on the journal page) or our journals department via this contact form. Please provide the manuscript reference number and the title of the journal.

  • I found out that there are conflicting interests, and I cannot provide an impartial review. How can I decline the invitation?

    If a potential conflict of interest impedes you from making an impartial scientific evaluation, please decline the invitation to review. Where possible, inform the editor about your reason for declining. If you have a conflict but feel that it does not prevent you from making a proper judgment, you must disclose the nature of this conflict in confidential comments to the editor. Please contact the journal editorial office directly (if this information is available on the journal page) or our editorial department via this contact form. Please provide the manuscript reference number and the title of the journal.

  • I reviewed a paper and would like to have a certificate. How can I request it?

    We greatly appreciate your collaboration as a reviewer. To acknowledge your involvement, journals may provide a certificate. If you would like to have a review certificate, please submit a request and include the following information: your name; journal for which you reviewed; and article number as provided in the invitation to review. Your message can be sent to our editorial department via this contact form.

  • I would like to become a reviewer for a journal. What should I do?

    Let us know if you are interested in getting involved in journal peer review. Our editors will be delighted to hear from you. Please send a message, indicating the journal for which you are interested in reviewing (also add this to the subject line), and get in touch with our editorial team via this contact form.

  • Is the journal a partner of Publons?

    We do not partner with Publons. You may share any review you have submitted for one of our journals via the Publons platform if you wish, according to the guidelines available.