Instructions for BJPS Referees

No two journals operate in exactly the same way. As a result, referees for the BJPS may find it difficult to know what to include in their reports. Authors too may find it helpful to know what precisely referees are being asked to do for a given journal.  With all this in mind, we’ve recently updated our guidelines for referees and have made them available here.

Although authors are likely to receive comments from referees only, there is a lot more to the process: Referee reports for the BJPS are taken as advisory. The relevant Associate Editor offers further advice on these reports and the paper to the Editors-in-Chief, and only then is a decision reached. In all, a paper that passes the desk rejection stage will be read by a minimum of six people, and no one person’s report holds sway (not even the opinion of one of the Editors-in-Chief!). For more information on how we do things at the BJPS, have a look at our series posts with advice on publishing from our editors.