Why Hermione was better than Harry in almost every respect”] [by Ronald Frump and colleagues] to the [Journal of Squirrel-Puppy Relationships].
The authors present [insert general overview of research and key findings]. This research is [well-suited/not-suitable] for the remit of the journal.
[Insert any comments regarding potential conflicts of interest, or about areas of relevant expertise that you feel you are lacking].
I recommend [accept/minor revisions/major revisions/oblivion], pending x, y, and z.
Basic reporting
Figures
- Are the figures legible, relevant, and integrated into the text
Data
Experimental design
- Was the way in which the research was conducted the best way to answer the relevant questions
Validity of the findings
- Are the conclusions supported by the results
- Do the results contribute to the research field, irrespective of whether they are ‘negative’ or a replication study
General comments
- Is the language used appropriate for a scientific publication
- Is the structure appropriate
Abstract
- Is the abstract concise, and does it convey the main research findings
- Are any key points of context or conclusions missing
Introduction
- Does this cover the published literature sufficiently
- Does it provide enough context in which to place the current research
- Are any key citations missing
- Is the history of the research conveyed at all for historical significance
- Does it finish with a paragraph summarising the relevance of the current research
Materials and methods
- Are the methods clear and easy to follow
- Can the methods be replicated if needed
- Are the source materials/data openly available, and is appropriate justification provided if not
- Were any statistical analyses applied performed appropriately
Results
- Are the results presented in a coherent fashion
- Are the results reported in a way that is supported by the data
Discussion
- Are the new results placed into context of the relevant literature
- Is a balanced argument provided
- Are the full implications of the new results discussed in sufficient detail
Conclusions
- Are the conclusions supported by the results
- Are they concise and written in an impactful way (not over-embellished)
Additional comments
- Anything else you want to add that doesn’t fit above
Congratulations to the authors on a great piece of work, and I look forward to seeing their research [published/rejected/re-written with all of the references to my own tangentially-relevant work included.]
Sincerely,
[Ralph Lauren]
References
- Any additional papers you have cited within your report