Reviewer Guidelines
Standards for peer review excellence in fetal surgery.
Contributing to Scientific Quality
Peer reviewers are essential to maintaining the scientific rigor and clinical relevance of Fetal Surgery publications. These guidelines help reviewers provide constructive, fair, and thorough evaluations that strengthen manuscripts and support informed editorial decisions in prenatal intervention research.
Review Responsibilities
Scientific Evaluation
Assess study design, methodology, data analysis, and conclusions for scientific validity. Evaluate clinical relevance and contribution to fetal surgery knowledge.
Constructive Feedback
Provide specific, actionable comments that help authors improve their manuscripts. Explain concerns clearly and suggest solutions where possible.
Timely Completion
Complete reviews within agreed timeframes, typically fourteen days. Notify editors promptly if unable to meet deadlines or if conflicts arise.
Ethical Conduct
Confidentiality
Maintain strict confidentiality of manuscript content. Never share, discuss, or use unpublished information without authorization from the editorial office.
Conflict Disclosure
Decline reviews where personal relationships, competitive interests, or institutional affiliations could bias evaluation. Disclose any potential conflicts immediately.
Fair Assessment
Evaluate manuscripts objectively based on scientific merit. Avoid bias related to author identity, nationality, institution, or research direction preferences.
Recognition for Reviewers: Quality review contributions are acknowledged through annual certificates, Publons integration for verified review records, and priority consideration for editorial board positions. Exceptional reviewers receive recognition in annual acknowledgments.
We encourage reviewers to comment on both strengths and limitations of manuscripts, providing balanced assessments that help authors and editors understand overall quality and specific improvement opportunities.
