Guidelines for Reviewers
The Journal of Paleontology is grateful for the contributions of our peer reviewers, for without them we could not meet our high standards of scientific excellence and integrity.
Below are general reviewer guidelines to ensure all reviews remain professional and constructive. If you have any questions, please contact the Managing Editor at journalofpaleontology@cambridge.org.
1. Be civil and professional. Comments should be polite, constructive, and focus on the scientific merit of the paper and not the author. Try to give the author suggestions for improving the paper even if you recommend rejection to the journal.
2. Be timely. Please submit the review by the deadline. If you don’t think you’ll be able to submit the review in time, please notify the Associate Editor of the delay.
3. Disclose conflicts of interest. If you think you cannot give an impartial review, please let the Associate Editor know so that we can find a different reviewer.
4. Report suspected plagiarism. We check submitted manuscripts for similarity to other work online, but if you suspect plagiarism at any point during review, please notify the Associate Editor and/or Managing Editor.
5. Manuscripts should remain confidential. Do not distribute or make use of any peer reviewed work.
Peer review is the foundation of quality in research for both books and journals, ensuring that published research is rigorous and ethical. Peer reviewers can access a number of resources to assist them with their peer reviewing duties:
- How to peer review journal articles: a practical introduction to conducting peer reviews, especially for those who are new to the process
- Ethics in peer review
- Online peer review systems, and how to anonymously annotate manuscripts
- Peer review FAQs
The journal administrator is also happy to help with any queries regarding undertaking peer review assignments. Please contact the Editorial Office with any questions.
Want to Review?
If you would like to be a peer reviewer for the Journal of Paleontology, please contact the Managing Editor at journalofpaleontology@cambridge.org with your area of expertise and a list of your relevant publications.