Why do I need to fill in detailed information when I sign in?
The detailed information representing your research and your interests will be displayed in your profile. It will help promote you in the academic community and will allow editors to match manuscripts based on your research and experience. It will ultimately save time for both reviewers and editors, avoiding review rejection due to unmatched field.
Will I be verified as a reviewer? How long does it take for verification?
Qualified reviewers should be scholars who have published peer-reviewed scientific articles in established international journals as the first or corresponding author. You will be verified as a reviewer if you meet these requirements. The verification is usually be completed within one week after a successful registration.
What information do I need to update on my homepage?
To ensure accurate review invitations and to save processing time, please update all the information displayed to editors, including availability for review, area of research, publications, and H index.
Why do I have to complete my personal information even when I have completed the review report?
You might be one of the scholars (not registered in the platform) recommended by editors, authors, or other reviewers and invited by the editor to review a manuscript. You will have access to the platform to review the manuscript after you accept the invitation. Upon completion of the review report, you are reminded to complete the information on your homepage. This will help promote yourself in the academic community and will allow editors to match manuscripts based on your research and experience. You will also be able to enjoy the rewarding mechanism on the platform.
Can reviewers removed from the system register again?
Reviewers with confirmed misconduct with respect to the review process will be disciplined and punished on the platform. For severe misconduct such as plagiarism, misappropriation of the author's data, breaches of confidentiality, and failure to disclosure of conflicts of interest, reviewers will be removed from the pool. The ARES system believes these behaviors violate academic practice, and such reviewers will no longer be approved as a reviewer on the ARES System (see specific disciplinary measures in Rewards and Punishments).
How does the ARES system ensure reviewers match manuscripts?
System recommendation of reviewers and editor's invitations are steps the ARES system takes to ensure the reviewers match manuscripts. The system's automatic recommendation of reviewers is based on the match of manuscript keywords and reviewers' research keywords. Editors can specify conditions such as publication record, H index, and affiliation, or exclude reviewers from the same affiliation, and those with fewer publications or low H index. On the recommendation list, editors can learn more about the reviewer's publications, projects, review history, average review speed, and review quality, and can send review invitations to suitable reviewers selected from the list.
Can I invite colleagues from different research fields to the platform?
Yes, you can invite any peers in science communities to the platform. With extensive participation from peers, the system will have better coverage of fields and provide more service to a larger community. We would appreciate your invitation and welcome your colleagues to join the ARES system.
Under what circumstances will I be reported by the editor and punished on the platform?
¬ Review misconduct, included but not limited to:
● Unethical review
● Violation of the rules of conflicts of interest
● Violation of the rules of confidentiality
● Interruption of review process
● Theft of work
● Inappropriate interests
¬ Lose touch with the editor:
● No reply to the review invitation without explanation to editor
● No response after accepting review invitation
¬ Academic misconduct reported by science communities includes but not limited to:
● Falsification of data
● Plagiarism
● Improprieties of authorship
● Misappropriation of the ideas of others
● Violation of generally accepted research practices
● Material failure to comply with legislative and regulatory requirements affecting research
● Inappropriate behavior concerning misconduct, duplicate publication
● Lack of declaration
How to receive more points?
You will receive points in the following ways:
¬ Review rewards
Reviewers will receive points reward for each manuscript reviewed based on the scores of review quality and efficiency. More topics will be welcomed with higher review quality and efficiency.
¬ The reward for recommending reviewers
If you decline a review invitation, we welcome recommendations for suitable reviewers. You will receive one point reward once editors invite the reviewer you recommended.
¬ Reward for inviting peers
Reviewers in ARES are encouraged to invite peers to join the system, and they will receive five points if the invited peer registers successfully and is verified as a reviewer.
What happens if the review report is not submitted within the preset timeline?
If you fail to submit a review report within a specified timeline, your review progress is subject to the review progress. Your review channel will be closed if the editor has collected enough review comments for the manuscript, and you do not need to review the manuscript. Otherwise, your review channel will remain open, and you will need to finish the review and submit the review report as soon as possible. This review will be counted as a valid review.
How are my review speed and review quality scores calculated？
The review speed score is automatically calculated by the system based on the report submission date and the preset deadline.
● 5 points (On time)
● 4 points (1 day delayed)
● 3 points (2 days delayed)
● 2 points (3 days delayed)
● 1 point (Delayed more than 3 days)
● 0 point (No review report submitted before AE recommendation)
The review quality score is given by the AE after reading your review comments. They rate your review on the following five aspects (each scored 1-5), and the final quality score is the average of these five scores:
● How familiar you are with the field
● How complete and accurate your comments are
● Whether your opinions are fair and reasonable
● Whether your suggestions are practical
● Whether your comments are helpful
How do I exchange my points for cash？
You can exchange your points for cash once you have at least 50 points. To exchange, log in to your account, enter the number of points you want to exchange, and provide your bank account details (first-time users need to set this up). We currently recommend using a bank account, as it helps us process payments more smoothly. After submitting, our team will contact you to confirm your account details and arrange the payment. Exchange path: Login > Menu > Rewards > Exchange.
How can I download the review certificate?
Once your comments have been adopted by the editor and the reviewed manuscript has a final decision, you can download your review certificate from your reviewer account. Just go to: Login > Menu > All Manuscripts > Download Certificate.
Am I required to do a certain number of reviews after I register?
No. You're free to choose which reviews you want to do.
Will I serve as a reviewer for a fixed journal?
No. The system matches reviewers with manuscripts based on their keywords, not a fixed journal assignment. You will receive review invitations for manuscripts across different journals that align with your research fields.
How to complain of a dissenting evaluation report?
If you have a dissenting to the review quality evaluation report, you may file a complaint to the journal and submit the journal's actions to the info@aressystem.com for further processing.
Is there any adverse effect on me to expose my review report to others?
No. Your review comments will be shown to other reviewers anonymously once the manuscript's final decision has been made. You can read other's review comments. We believe this will promote academic exchanges and benefit reviewers to the maximum extent.
Can I apply for an extension if I cannot finish the review on time?
Yes. You may email the editor to ask for an extension of the review timeline if you cannot finish the review within the preset time. Please note the editor will decide your review channel remains open or not, and the review deadline in the system will not be changed with the extension. Your review time record will be the actual completion time of your review report.
Can my journal use the ARES system?
Yes. The ARES RE system is equipped with ARES ME system and can be integrated with any other submission system. Regardless of the submission system your journal is using, our technical staff can help complete the system's integration with ARES, and you can feel free to use the ARES system.
Why did the review channel close before my deadline?
Your review channel will be closed when the journal editor has collected sufficient comments and proceeded to the next stage of submitting review comments for the editor-in-chief's decision. When your review channel has been closed before your deadline, you will be notified that the editor has already received sufficient comments and does not require you to continue your review.
How is the invitation acceptance rate calculated?
This acceptance rate refers to your accepted review invitations to all your review invitations. We acknowledge that there are many reasons for your rejection, including unmatched research area, conflicts of interest, and time conflicts. Please be assured that the acceptance rate is only a reference shown to editors. We hope you will honestly decline to review manuscripts with conflicts of interest and those not in your area of research. This will help ensure the seriousness and impartiality of peer review.
Why did I not receive a review quality evaluation?
You will not receive a review quality evaluation if the editor believes your review comments do not meet the journal's quality standards, or your review did not improve the manuscript. Editors will exercise their right to refuse to adopt your comments, and your review report will not be sent to senior editors for evaluation. For journal requirements for review reports, please refer to the instructions posted on the journals' websites. We hope you will read through the journals' detailed requirements and complete a valuable review report for each manuscript with a rigorous and serious attitude.
What should I do if I cannot receive the mail?
If you do not receive the email,
¬ Please check your Spam folder to make sure the link does not go in there.
¬ Please add the system management email "admin@aressystem.com" to the whitelist.
¬ Please contact us if the above solutions cannot solve your problem.