Refereeing for The Astronomical Journal

The following ideas about refereeing may seem obvious. Most scientists know instinctively how to judge a scientific paper. Yet many prospective referees have questions about the refereeing process and want to know what a journal's editor would like to see in an "ideal" referee report.

Availability

Please respond promptly to the Editor's message asking whether you are willing to referee an article. If you have other commitments and cannot referee it in the time requested (usually about a month in the case of the AJ), let him or her know immediately so that another referee can be chosen.

Questions to keep in mind as you read the article

• Does the paper present original research at a level appropriate for an AJ paper?
• Is the abstract informative?
• Does the article represent a significant contribution to the astronomical literature?
• Are the results adequately documented (e.g., are relevant data included)?
• Could any of the figures or tables be more effectively presented as online-only material in the electronic version of the journal?
• Are errors and uncertainties given and explained?
• Is there sufficient reference to previous work?
• Is the material clearly presented?

Timeliness

Remember that it will take just as long to referee the article several weeks from now as it will today.

Conflicts of interest

Let the Editor know immediately if you may have a conflict of interest. For example, is one of the authors

• At your institution?
• One of your students?
• A close collaborator?
• Your nemesis?
• Your spouse?

Anonymity

You will be an anonymous referee unless you specify otherwise. It is acceptable to make your identity known to the authors by sending them a copy of your report, provided that you also send a copy to the Editor. If there is further correspondence between you and the authors, be sure to copy all messages to the Editor.

Grammar and English usage

If the manuscript needs a lot of copyediting, please note that fact in your report. It is not necessary for you to do that task yourself, however. Spelling, punctuation, grammar, and format will be corrected when the article passes to IOP Publishing for production and publication.

Tone

If the manuscript makes you angry, keep in mind that insulting or offending the authors may only make them feel you are biased against them. They may pay less attention to your otherwise useful review. A calm and persuasive report that makes exactly the same recommendations will be much more effective in guiding errant authors. Note that the Editor will remove unprofessional comments from referee reports.

Submitting a report

We encourage you to submit your report using IOP Publishing's online peer-review system. This system is also used by the journal's Editors and Editorial Office to communicate with you throughout the peer-review process, and also to communicate with authors.

Finally, thank you. We rely on our referees to maintain the quality of our journal. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

John S. Gallagher, III, Editor-in-Chief
The Astronomical Journal
Space Astronomy Lab, Chamberlin Hall
University of Wisconsin
1150 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706
USA

Telephone: +1 608 265 6005; Fax: +1 608 890 2599
aj@astro.wisc.edu