Thank you for contributing to the peer-review process of Biometrical Letters. The quality and integrity of the journal depends on the expertise and commitment of its reviewers. These guidelines are intended to help you prepare a thorough and constructive report.
Before You Accept the Invitation
Please consider the following before agreeing to review:
- Expertise. Accept the invitation only if you feel competent to assess the manuscript's scientific content. If the topic is outside your primary area of expertise, please inform the editor and suggest alternative reviewers if possible.
- Availability. The standard review period is six weeks. If you cannot complete the review within this time frame, please decline the invitation promptly so that another reviewer can be found.
- Conflicts of interest. Decline the invitation if you have a financial, personal, or professional relationship with any of the authors that could compromise your objectivity. This includes recent collaborations, current institutional affiliations, or personal acquaintance with the authors.
Confidentiality
The manuscript you have received is a confidential document. You may not share it with third parties or discuss its contents with them without the express consent of the editor-in-charge. You may not use the information contained in the manuscript for your own research prior to its publication. If you wish to involve a colleague in the review process, please inform the editor in advance and obtain his or her consent.
What to Assess
Your report should address the following aspects of the manuscript:
- Relevance and originality. Does the manuscript fall within the scope of Biometrical Letters? Does it make a genuine scientific contribution? Is the work sufficiently novel relative to the existing literature?
- Scientific soundness. Are the methods appropriate and correctly applied? Are the results valid and the conclusions supported by the data? Are there errors in the statistical or mathematical content?
- Connection to applied problems. The journal strongly values papers motivated by real problems in the life sciences. Does the manuscript adequately describe the applied context? Is the methodology illustrated with real or realistic data?
- Clarity and presentation. Is the manuscript clearly written and well structured? Are the tables, figures, and mathematical notation clear and correctly presented?
- References. Is the relevant literature adequately cited? Are there important omissions?
How to Structure Your Report
A good review report typically includes the following elements:
- A brief summary of the manuscript's aims and main findings (2–4 sentences).
- A general assessment of the manuscript's strengths and weaknesses.
- Specific comments and suggestions, clearly numbered and referenced to page, section, or line numbers where possible. Distinguish between issues that are essential to address and those that are optional suggestions.
- A recommendation to the editor (see decision categories below).
Your recommendation to the editor should be one of the following:
- Accept — the manuscript is suitable for publication without changes.
- Minor revision — the manuscript is acceptable subject to minor corrections that do not require re-review.
- Major revision — the manuscript requires substantial revision; you are willing to assess the revised version.
- Reject — the manuscript is not suitable for publication in Biometrical Letters.
Tone and Style
Please ensure that your report is objective, constructive, and professional. Critical comments should be specific and evidence-based. Personal remarks about the authors are not appropriate. Bear in mind that the purpose of peer review is to help authors improve their work, as well as to assist the editor in making a well-informed decision.
Potential Research Misconduct
If you suspect that the manuscript contains plagiarism, fabricated data, undisclosed duplication of published work, or any other form of research misconduct, please notify the handling editor immediately rather than including this concern only in your review report. The editorial office will handle such matters in accordance with COPE guidelines.
If you have any questions about the review process or require an extension, please contact the editorial office at biometrical.letters@up.poznan.pl.