Decline, and conflicts of interest

Saying no early is a help, not a failure. It lets the editor ask someone else while there is still time.

How to decline

Open the submission from Reviews, choose Decline, and give a short reason. The editor reads the reason. The authors do not.

When to decline

• You have a conflict of interest (see below).
• It is outside your field, and you could not judge the main claims.
• You cannot finish by the due date.
• You have already reviewed this work for another conference or journal and your view is fixed.

If only part of the work is outside your field, you can review the part you know and say so in your comments to the editors.

Conflicts of interest

You have a conflict when something other than the quality of the work could affect your judgment, or could be seen to. Decline if:

• you are an author of the work, or helped with it;
• an author is a close colleague, a recent co-author, your student or your supervisor;
• an author is a relative or a close friend;
• you work at the same department as an author;
• you gain or lose money, position or credit from the outcome;
• you are in direct competition with the work;
• you feel unable to be fair, for any reason.

On a call that reviews without names you may still recognise the work. If you do, and one of the above applies, decline.

Quorum Press does not let an author be assigned to their own submission.

If you find a problem while reviewing

If you suspect plagiarism, invented data, or work sent to two places, do not confront the authors. Write what you found, with your evidence, in the comments for the editors only.