Every research article, review and short communication submitted to Pharma Research is peer reviewed before a decision is made. The journal uses a double-blind model: reviewers do not see the authors' names or affiliations, and authors are not told who reviewed their work.

Who reviews a manuscript

Each manuscript that passes the editor's first check is sent to at least two independent experts in the relevant area of pharmaceutical science. Reviewers are chosen for their subject knowledge and must not work at the same institution as any author, have collaborated with them recently, or have any other conflict of interest.

What reviewers look at

• Whether the question is relevant to the journal's scope and adds something new
• Soundness of the study design, methods and statistical analysis
• Whether the conclusions follow from the data
• Clarity of writing, figures and tables, and the adequacy of references
• Ethical issues, including approvals, consent and possible duplicate publication

Decisions

The handling editor weighs the reviewers' reports and makes one of four decisions: accept, minor revision, major revision or reject. Where the reports disagree sharply, a third reviewer may be invited. The editor's decision is final, subject to the Complaints and Appeals procedure.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts under review are confidential. Reviewers may not share, cite or use any part of the work, and editors do not disclose reviewers' identities. For details of each stage, see the Peer Review Process.