Every journal in our catalogue depends on researchers who agree to read a stranger's work carefully and say what they actually think of it. It is unpaid, it is largely invisible, and it is the only mechanism we have for telling a sound result from a plausible one. We are inviting new reviewers across all our subject areas.
Who we are looking for
If you hold a doctorate or have published peer-reviewed work in your field, you are qualified. We particularly need reviewers in Computer and IT, Medical Sciences, Mechanical, Civil and Electrical Engineering, Pharmacy, Life Sciences, Management and Law — the areas where submissions currently outpace our reviewer pool.
Early-career researchers are welcome. A first review is often a better review than a fiftieth, and we pair newer reviewers with experienced ones on the same manuscript.
What a review actually involves
- Two to three weeks from accepting an invitation. If you need longer, say so when you accept and we will plan around it.
- One manuscript at a time. We will not send you three in a week and hope.
- A structured response — significance, methods, evidence, clarity, ethics — plus a recommendation. Comments to the author are passed on; a separate note to the editor is not.
- Declining is fine. Outside your area, too close to the authors, or simply no time: decline and, if you can, name someone better placed.
What we ask you not to do
Do not send a review that is only a verdict. "Reject, poor English" tells an author nothing they can act on and tells the editor nothing they can weigh. Point at the specific claim, the specific figure, the specific missing control. A hard review that is specific is a kindness; a vague one is not.
And do not use a manuscript under review for anything else. It is confidential until published, including from your own group.
What you get back
Named recognition on the journal's reviewer record, a certificate for each completed review, and first sight of work in your field months before it appears. Consistent reviewers are the people we invite onto editorial boards, so this is also the ordinary route to that.
How to start
Read the reviewer guidelines, then write to the editorial office with your subject area, your affiliation and a link to your published work or profile. We will match you to a journal and send a first invitation when something suitable arrives — not before.