Reviewer Guide

NTU Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences (NTU-JAVS):

Guide for Reviewers

Dear Esteemed Colleague,

Thank you for considering contributing your expertise to the peer-review process of the NTU Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences (NTU-JAVS). Rigorous and insightful peer review is essential to maintaining the quality and impact of scientific publications. By kindly serving as a reviewer, you are vital in advancing agricultural and veterinary sciences and shaping research direction within these important fields.

Before Accepting a Review Invitation:

Please consider these essential questions to ensure you can provide a valuable and timely review:

  • Expertise Alignment: Is the manuscript's topic consistent with your primary area(s) of expertise? The NTU-JAVS Journal depends on reviewers who possess in-depth knowledge to deliver authoritative evaluations.
  • Conflict of Interest: Do you have any personal, professional, or financial relationships that could potentially bias your review? Transparency is paramount in maintaining the integrity of the peer-review process in high-impact publications. Please disclose any potential conflicts to the editor.
  • Time Commitment: Can you dedicate the necessary time and attention to detail required for a thorough and critical evaluation of the manuscript within the specified timeframe?
  • Your careful consideration of these factors ensures that your contribution will be both effective and aligned with the standards of high-quality scientific publishing.

Conducting Your Peer Review for NTU-JAVS: Fostering Excellence

The goal of the peer-review process for NTU-JAVS is to provide authors with constructive and actionable feedback that enhances the quality, clarity, and impact of their research. While NTU-JAVS does not impose a rigid structure, we encourage reviewers to deliver a comprehensive evaluation that includes:

  • Executive Summary: A concise overview of the manuscript's main findings, strengths, and weaknesses. This provides the editor with an immediate understanding of your overall assessment.
  • Major Issues: Detailed comments on significant flaws or areas needing substantial revision. These may relate to research design, methodology, data analysis, interpretation of results, or overall scientific rigour. Clearly articulate the concerns and suggest specific remedies.
  • Minor Issues: Specific, less critical points that need clarification, correction, or improvement. These could involve the presentation of data, language clarity, or referencing.
  • Constructive Feedback: Frame your comments helpfully and encouragingly. Even when recommending rejection, it provides clear and specific reasons to aid the authors in understanding the limitations of their work and potentially improving future research.
  • Confidential Comments to the Editor-in-Chief: This section allows you to communicate any sensitive or overarching concerns you do not wish the authors to see.

Key Aspects for Evaluation :

Reviewers for NTU-JAVS are expected to critically evaluate the following aspects, reflecting the standards of high-impact agricultural journals:

  • Novelty and Significance: Does the research address a significant gap in current knowledge? Does it provide new insights, methodologies, or findings that could advance the field? Is the topic at the forefront of agricultural and veterinary sciences?
  • Title and Abstract: Are the title and abstract accurate, engaging, and representative of the manuscript's content? Do they effectively convey the novelty and significance of the work?
  • Theoretical Framework: Is the theoretical or conceptual framework sound and appropriately applied? Is the relevant literature adequately reviewed and contextualised?
  • Impact and Value to the Scientific Community: What is the potential impact of this research on peers, policymakers, or practitioners in agricultural and veterinary sciences? Does it contribute meaningfully to the existing body of knowledge?
  • Methodological Rigour: Are the research methods clearly outlined, scientifically valid, and suitable for the research question? Is the experimental design, data collection, and analysis robust and reproducible?
  • Clarity and Precision of Language: Is the manuscript written in clear, concise, and grammatically correct English? Is the scientific terminology used accurately and consistently?
  • Quality of Visuals: Are the figures and tables essential, clearly labeled, and effectively presenting the data? Are they of high quality and easy to interpret?
  • Validity of Results and Interpretation: Are the results presented accurately and objectively? Are the interpretations of the findings supported by the data? Are the limitations of the study acknowledged?
  • Appropriateness of References: Are the references relevant, up-to-date, and accurately cited? Do they reflect the breadth of research in the field?

Timeliness and Professionalism:

Adhering to the agreed-upon deadline for your review is crucial for efficiently processing manuscripts. If unforeseen circumstances prevent you from meeting the deadline, please contact NTU-JAVS to arrange an alternative submission date.

Recommendations:

At the end of your comprehensive review, please provide one of the following recommendations, justified by your assessment:

  • Accept: The manuscript is of high quality and suitable for publication without further revisions.
  • Minor Revision: The manuscript has merit but requires minor revisions to address specific points.
  • Major Revision: The manuscript has the potential for publication but requires significant revisions to address major flaws.
  • Reject: The manuscript has significant shortcomings and is not suitable for publication in its current form.

Commitment to Confidentiality:

As a reviewer for NTU-JAVS, you are entrusted with confidential information. The manuscripts you review must be treated with the utmost confidentiality. Please refrain from sharing the content or discussing the work with anyone outside the formal peer-review process. If consultation with a trusted colleague is necessary, prior approval from the Editor-in-Chief is required, and their name(s) must be disclosed in the "Comments to the editor" section. Maintaining confidentiality during any such consultation is paramount.

Declaration of Conflicts of Interest:

To ensure an unbiased and objective review process, please decline to review a manuscript if any of the following apply:

  • You have a financial interest in the research.
  • You have had prior discussions about the manuscript with the authors.
  • You believe you cannot provide an impartial evaluation.

In such cases, promptly recuse yourself from the review process.

Join Our Community of Experts:

NTU-JAVS actively seeks dedicated and knowledgeable researchers to join our growing community of peer reviewers. Our Editorial Board carefully selects reviewers based on their expertise and publication record to ensure that each manuscript receives a high-quality assessment. If you are interested in contributing your expertise, we encourage you to register for a user account with NTU-JAVS to keep your contact information and areas of specialization up to date. This will enable us to efficiently invite you to review manuscripts that align with your expertise.

Thank you for your willingness to contribute to the quality and impact of the NTU Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences. Your dedication to the peer-review process is invaluable to advancing agricultural and veterinary research.

Please contact us if you need further details on the review process.

 

Sincerely,

The Editorial Team

NTU Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences (NTU-JAVS)