Privacy Statement

Authors and reviewers

Reviewing of manuscripts should be done with respect for the confidentiality of both authors and reviewers. However, if dishonesty or fraud is suspected, confidentiality may be breached, but otherwise must be maintained.

Information about manuscripts (including their receipt, content, review status, critique by reviewers, or final fate) should not be disclosed to anyone other than authors and reviewers. This includes requests to use materials for legal proceedings.

Reviewers and members of the editorial board must respect the rights of authors and not publicly discuss their work or appropriate their ideas. Editors should explain to reviewers that manuscripts submitted for review are a privileged communication and the private property of the authors. The reviewer's comments may not be published without the permission of the reviewer, the author, and the editor.

Authors should consult the Guidelines for Authors of the journal to which they choose to submit a manuscript to determine whether reviews are anonymous. If the comments are not signed, the identity of the reviewers may not be disclosed to the author or anyone else without the permission of the reviewers.

Publication of reviewer comments with the manuscript should only be done with the consent of the authors and reviewers. If the same manuscript is reviewed by other reviewers, comments from previous reviewers should be sent, which helps to gain knowledge of the review process. The editor's decision to accept or reject a manuscript for publication may also be communicated to reviewers.