Reviewer guidelines

Reviewer assessments are used by the editor to help decide whether a manuscript should be published, requires revision, or should be declined. Reviewers are by default anonymous, and their identity will only be made known to the authors if they include their name in the review text. For manuscripts that are published, all reviews and editor decisions will be made available in a review report that will be linked to the online article. Reviewer assessments should be written with the aim of helping the authors to improve their work.

A review will typically contain the following information:

  • A summary of the question the manuscript is trying to address and why this is important for the planetary science community.
  • A brief summary of the quality of the work, with a recommendation of whether the manuscript is publishable as is, requires revision, or should be declined.
  • A list of major concerns that the editor should insist on being addressed during revision.
  • A list of minor comments that would help the authors improve their manuscript (such as typos, missing references, clarifications, etc), but that are not critical for the editor in making a decision.

Reviewers for Planetary Research should abide by the journal's code of conduct and should further follow the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics regarding peer review.

Competing interests

Conflicts of interest - whether financial, professional, or personal - can undermine, or be perceived to undermine, the integrity and objectivity of scientific publications. Planetary Research requires the full disclosure of all potential competing interests in order to ensure transparency and to maintain trust in the peer-review process.

Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts that could impair objective judgment. Relevant cases include recent co-authorship, shared funding, current or recent institutional affiliation, or personal connections with the authors. Planetary Research allows flexibility where such connections may be unavoidable.