On this page
At a glance
- An anonymous, read-only copy: nothing in it names the authors.
- Comments in the margin, linked to the exact sentence, table or figure.
- Comments become points of your review in one step.
Writing Labs opens from your reviewer desk once you accept an invitation. It shows the manuscript as the editors sent it for review, in the journal layout, and keeps your comments with the review assignment.
Problems before Writing Labs
- Downloading the manuscript, annotating a PDF or a Word file, and typing the same comments again into the review form.
- Comments that pointed to "page 7, line 12" and no longer matched the revised version.
- Opening a file that still held the authors' names in its properties or tracked changes.
- Checking references and DOIs by hand.
- Losing track of the deadline among e-mails.
Reading and commenting
- A read-only copy of the manuscript in the journal layout, with its tables, figures and references.
- Comments in the margin: add, reply, edit or delete them, and filter the open ones.
- The number of your comments is always visible.
Writing the review
- Open the journal's review form beside the manuscript.
- Turn a comment into a point of your review; the points panel lists them in order, ready for the form.
- The reviewer guidance of the journal is one click away (see also the reviewer guidelines).
- The reference check lists uncited entries, citations without an entry and DOIs that do not resolve, so your comments on the references are precise.
Blind review
- The copy you read is anonymous. If you notice an author's name or affiliation in the text, tell the editor and do not try to identify the authors.
- Before you send, the identity check looks through your own comments for your name, e-mail or affiliation, so the authors cannot recognise you.
- An anonymous Word copy can be downloaded if you prefer to read offline.
Deadlines and questions
- The days left for your review are shown on the manuscript; Fast Track reviews are marked.
- Ask the editor a question through the discussion on the review assignment.
Confidentiality
The manuscript is confidential. Do not share it or use its content for your own work, and declare any conflict of interest (see conflicts of interest and peer review). Your comments are seen by the editors and, after their decision, passed to the authors without your name.
