Peer reviewers are expected to adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct throughout the review process. Their role carries significant responsibility in ensuring the integrity, fairness, and credibility of scholarly publishing through objective evaluation, professional behavior, and respect for confidentiality.
Reviewers are expected to act with integrity and impartiality at all stages of the review process, to disclose potential conflicts of interest, and to engage constructively with both editors and authors in support of a fair and transparent editorial process.
Confidentiality
Peer reviewers must treat all manuscripts and associated materials under review as confidential documents. Information obtained through the peer-review process—including data, results, interpretations, and editorial communications—must not be shared, discussed with third parties, or used for personal, professional, or competitive advantage at any stage of the review process or prior to publication, except with explicit authorization from the editorial office.
Objectivity and Fairness
Reviews should be conducted objectively and impartially. Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts solely on their scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, and relevance to the journal’s scope, without influence from the authors’ nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, academic status, or other personal characteristics.
Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence, or be perceived to influence, their assessment of a manuscript. Such conflicts may include financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships with the authors, their institutions, or the subject matter of the work. Reviewers should inform the editorial office of any relevant conflicts at the time of invitation or as soon as they arise and should decline the review if an impartial evaluation cannot be ensured.
Appropriate Use of Manuscript Content
Reviewers must not use unpublished information, data, or ideas obtained through the peer-review process for personal, professional, or competitive purposes. Any misuse of privileged or confidential information obtained through peer review represents a serious breach of ethical responsibility.
Constructive and Respectful Communication
Reviewer comments should be professional, respectful, and constructive. Criticism should be directed at the content of the manuscript and supported by clear and reasoned arguments. Personal attacks, discriminatory language, or inappropriate remarks are inconsistent with the standards of professional peer review.
Reporting Ethical Concerns
Reviewers are encouraged to confidentially alert the editorial team to any concerns related to the ethical integrity of a manuscript. Such concerns may include, but are not limited to, suspected plagiarism or excessive similarity, data fabrication or falsification, image manipulation, ethical issues involving human participants or animal research, or undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Ethical concerns should be communicated directly to the editors and should not be included in comments intended for authors, in order to allow appropriate editorial assessment and handling.
Use of AI and Automated Tools
Reviewers may use AI-based or automated tools as supportive aids in connection with the peer-review process, provided that such use does not compromise the confidentiality of manuscript content or related information. Manuscripts and associated materials under review must not be uploaded, shared, or processed through external systems in ways that violate confidentiality or data protection requirements.
The use of AI or automated tools must remain strictly auxiliary and does not replace the reviewer’s independent scientific judgment or responsibility for the content and recommendations expressed in the review report.