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How to write a good review? Check out our editorial ( https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-021-00100-2) for food for thought on how to compose helpful and constructive peer review reports. (1/10)
Start with a brief summary: Provide an outline of the gist of the paper you are reviewing, it helps to discover and counter any misunderstandings. (2/10)
Back up your assessments: Support any concerns about originality with references and provide specific details of any technical concerns you may have. (3/10)
Keep the tone scholarly, encouraging, and positive: The best constructive review reports use an even and dispassionate tone, and avoid confrontational, emotive or sarcastic language. (4/10)
Consider and comment on each claim: Most papers report more than one conclusion. If parts of the paper don’t hold up, perhaps others do? Assessing each part helps editors to reach a decision on whether, on balance, the work fits the journal’s aims. (5/10)
Be generous with ideas for improvement—but do not insist: No paper is perfect and there is always more that could be done. Share any suggestions for improvements, but do not demand implementation. (6/10)
Note where you cannot follow: If, as an expert reviewer, you don’t understand a point the authors are making, then other readers likely won’t either. (7/10)
Be open about the limits of your expertise: If only part of the study falls within your specialty, let the authors and editors know so comments can be weighted accordingly. (8/10)
Do not request citations to your own group’s papers, unless essential. Only ask for your own articles to be cited if they are key to the story. (9/10)
Judge the science, not the scientist: Disregard what you know about the authors. What matters is the quality of the research. (10/10)
