Duties of Reviewers

 

Reviewers are an essential part of the scholarly publishing process and contribute directly to maintaining the academic quality, scientific integrity, and credibility of Journal of Decision Support Systems and Multi-Criteria Decision Making. Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, independently, and constructively based on their academic and scientific merit.

The reviewer should provide a balanced assessment of the manuscript's strengths and weaknesses and assist the Editor in determining whether the manuscript meets the journal's standards. Reviewers should focus on the quality of the research rather than the identity, institutional affiliation, nationality, gender, personal characteristics, or professional status of the authors.

Core Duties
  • Evaluate the manuscript fairly, objectively, and independently.
  • Assess the relevance of the manuscript to the journal's aims and scope.
  • Evaluate the originality and scientific contribution of the research.
  • Assess the appropriateness and rigor of the research methodology.
  • Examine the accuracy and consistency of the analysis and interpretation.
  • Evaluate the quality and significance of the results.
  • Assess whether the conclusions are supported by the research findings.
  • Identify important methodological, technical, analytical, or ethical concerns.
  • Provide specific and constructive recommendations for improvement.
  • Identify relevant literature that should be considered when academically justified.
  • Maintain strict confidentiality throughout the review process.
  • Declare any potential conflict of interest before reviewing the manuscript.
  • Complete and submit the review within the agreed timeframe.
Quality of Review

A high-quality review should be sufficiently detailed to explain the basis of the reviewer's recommendation. Comments should distinguish between major concerns that may affect the validity, originality, or contribution of the study and minor concerns related to clarity, formatting, language, terminology, references, tables, or figures.