Reviewer FAQ

Most of the information you need is at your Reviewer Center at the ScholarOne site. Always check the top of the screen first.

FAQ

How can I keep my information up to date?

How can I encourage editors to ask me to review?

How can I make comments or track changes on a Microsoft Word document anonymous?

How can I be removed from the list of potential reviewers?

Criteria for Selecting Manuscripts for ASABE Journals

Multiple submissions, plagiarism, and general considerations

Journal of the ASABE

Applied Engineering in Agriculture

Technical Notes (both Journal of the ASABE and Applied Engineering in Agriculture) Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health

Research Briefs (Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health)

ASABE Guidelines for Manuscript Reviews

How can I keep my information up to date?

Edit your information from the "Edit Account" button at the top right of your Welcome screen. It’s vital to have your correct e-mail(s) there. If you would like to be asked to review manuscripts, be sure to include the acronym of your ASABE Technical Community + rev (i.e., ASE rev, EOPD rev, ES rev, ESH rev, ITSC rev, MS rev, NRES rev, PAFS rev, PRS rev) in the Specialty/Areas of Expertise area, along with your particular specialties. Also list your Keywords. Please check the top of the screen for more info about becoming a reviewer.

Note that changing your info in the ASABE member database does NOT change your ScholarOne Manuscripts database. Please update both sites.

How can I encourage editors to ask me to review?

Editors use the Keywords and Specialty Areas to help find reviewers for manuscripts. If you would like to be found by this method, go to the "Edit Account" button at the top right of your Welcome screen. Include the acronym of your ASABE Technical Community + rev (i.e., ASE rev, EOPD rev, ES rev, ESH rev, ITSC rev, MS rev, NRES rev, PAFS rev, PRS rev) in the Specialty/Areas of Expertise area, along with your particular specialties. Also list several Keywords.

You could also directly contact an associate editor who works in your field, or contact your Editor. ASABE members will find the contact information on the members section of the ASABE website under the Publications Committee listings.

How can I make comments or track changes on a Microsoft Word document anonymous?

Follow an easy procedure before you upload your review file so that your personal info will not show. The procedure is easy, but differs with Word versions. For Word 2003, go to Tools/Options/Security tab, check the "Remove personal information from file properties on save" box, and hit OK. For newer Word versions, use the Document Inspector. The details differ among Word versions, so search, e.g., "Word 2010 make comments anonymous" for directions.

How can I be removed from the list of potential reviewers?

If you are listed in the database but do not want to be asked to review, you can hit the "Edit Account" on the Main Menu screen. There, indicate that you are unavailable for a long time span. If an editor does a search for you as a reviewer, your record will pop up with a red "NA" by the name, and the reviewer info box shows the unavailable dates. However, the editor could still ask you to review; the system won’t prevent it.

You can still work in the system, submit articles, etc.

Note that the same unavailable notation will show up when an Editor is searching for an AE for a manuscript. If you want to be active as an AE but not as a reviewer, you’ll want to be sure your Editor knows to ignore your unavailability.

An alternate method is to put an informative phrase in your Keywords or Specialty box (via "edit your information"), such as "Please don’t ask me to review anything about swine, but I will review articles about rabbits." When your record is pulled, the editor can see this info. However, it might be overlooked.

Criteria for Selecting Manuscripts for ASABE Journals

Multiple Submissions, Plagiarism, and General Considerations

Manuscripts submitted to ASABE journals must not be in submission, under review, accepted, or published by another peer-reviewed publication. Manuscripts rejected by any ASABE journal may not be submitted to another ASABE journal. This is unethical and wastes the time of reviewers and editors.

Manuscripts that have been rejected or withdrawn from other publications may be submitted to ASABE journals. Manuscripts that have been published in a conference or meeting proceedings without peer review may be submitted to ASABE journals (with permission from the proceedings publisher, if other than ASABE). A substantial expansion of work that was previously peer-reviewed and published as a preliminary report may be submitted. Any previous or preliminary publication should be cited in the current manuscript.

Manuscripts must be original. ASABE may use plagiarism-checking software to highlight potential cases of plagiarism. Authors should cite their own previous work that relates to the current publication.

Manuscripts must be consistent with the purpose of ASABE as set forth in its Constitution and shall not contain purely speculative matter. However, scientific evidence can be used to challenge current ideas or propose new ones that will encourage progress and discussion. Published material shall be free from evident commercialism or advancement of any private interest, and shall neither obscure proper names required for an understanding of the subject matter, nor contain material that can be used to imply Society endorsement of a product, service, etc. Published material shall be free from personalities either complimentary or derogatory.

Journal of the ASABE

To be published in Journal of the ASABE the manuscript must meet all of the following requirements:

  • The material represents original, important contributions to research or design literature of interest to the Society.
  • It clearly represents the design or development of technology, or research into problems of direct interest to the profession.
  • The manuscript must clearly state the scope and purpose. The information must be objective and well organized, and the conclusions must be adequately supported.

Along with the requirements stated above, the manuscript should also contain at least one of the following elements:

  • Original data, analysis or design, or synthesis of existing information.
  • Research information for the improvement of design, construction, or manufacturing practice.
  • Significant and convincing evidence that confirms and strengthens the findings of others, and revises ideas or challenges accepted theory.
  • A critical review of research or design information of comprehensive and well-defined scope.

Units of measure are to be expressed in SI (International Systems of Units) (see ASAE EP285.7 Use of SI (Metric) Units). You may include customary (English) units in parenthesis for special applications.

Applied Engineering in Agriculture

To be published in Applied Engineering in Agriculture the manuscript must meet all of the following requirements:

  • The material represents original, useful contributions to engineering for agriculture and/or mechanization applications literature. It must have current, lasting, or apparent future value to agriculture.
  • It must emphasize the application of engineering for agriculture and/or mechanization knowledge and skill.
  • The information must be presented in an objective, well-organized manner which allows for easy adaptation and use by others. The scope, purpose, and summary must be clearly stated.

Along with the requirements stated above, the manuscript should also contain at least one of the following elements:

  • Results of practical experiences, tests, or trials presented in a manner and style that they allow easy adaptation by others.
  • Results of reviews or studies of installations or applications, and substantially new or significant information not readily available in other refereed publications.
  • A description of successful methods or techniques of technology transfer.
  • A critical review of new technology or educational methods of comprehensive and well-defined scope.

Units of measure are to be expressed in SI (International Systems of Units) (see ASAE EP285.7 Use of SI (Metric) Units); dual units (English) in the text, graphs, and figures are strongly encouraged for clarity and maximum usefulness for the reader.

Technical Notes (both Journal of the ASABE and Applied Engineering in Agriculture)

Technical notes meet the criteria of the journal, but the amount of information in the manuscript does not warrant a full-length article. Technical notes generally fill no more than two published pages (including tables, illustrations, and references). The manuscript must present at least one of the following elements:

  • New apparatus, instrumentation, experimental techniques, or computer program developments.
  • Observations and preliminary results of topics with great current interest.
  • Results that confirm or refute previously published work.
  • A compilation of useful data.

Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health

To be published in the Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, the manuscript should meet all of the following requirements:

  • The material represents original, useful contributions to the agricultural safety and health literature.
  • The scope, purpose, and summary or conclusions must be stated in an objective, well-organized manner.
  • The article must emphasize aspects of safety and health relating to agriculture, or relate agricultural safety and health to other public, health or occupational fields, issues, or concerns.
  • The information must be organized in a way that allows easy adaptation and use by others. The scope, purpose, and summary must be clearly stated.

The manuscript should also contain at least one of the following elements:

  • Original research data and analyses.
  • Results of practical experiences, tests, or trials.
  • Critical review, synthesis, or evaluation of existing information.
  • Scientifically based discussion or proposal for advancing agricultural safety and health.

Units of measure should be expressed in SI (International System of Units) if the subject matter requires their use. ASAE EP285.7 Use of SI (Metric) Units lists terms, symbols, and methods for conversion from customary units.

Research Briefs (Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health)

When the scope and amount of information in your manuscript do not warrant a full-length article in the Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, the manuscript will be designated a Research Brief. The criteria for publishing a Research Brief are:

  • It represents a contribution to ASABE’s literature.
  • It meets the criteria of the journal.
  • It presents observations and preliminary results of topics of great current interest.
  • It presents results that confirm or refute previously published work.
  • It presents a compilation of useful data.

ASABE Guidelines for Manuscript Reviews

The peer-review process for refereed publications is dependent on the quality of the manuscript reviews provided by the reviewers. Reviewers are selected based on their professional stature and familiarity with the nature of the manuscript. Reviewers are encouraged to accept this responsibility with the highest degree of professionalism. The review serves three purposes:

  • It assists the Editor in deciding the merit for publishing the manuscript,
  • It provides the authors with constructive suggestions for improving the manuscript, and
  • It ensures the profession that only the highest quality information and knowledge is being advanced.

Critical Evaluation: The review should evaluate the manuscript based on what was done. The review must communicate the evaluation clearly and thoroughly. The review recommendation should be one of the following:

  • Publish as is;
  • Publish with minor changes, no re-review necessary;
  • Publish after substantial revision and additional review; or
  • Not suitable for publication in any of the ASABE journals, even with substantial revision.

Promptness: The review should be completed within four weeks of agreeing to review the manuscript. If additional time is needed, the reviewer should contact the Associate Editor to discuss other arrangements.

Constructiveness: The review should constructively comment on the manuscript indicating how apparent flaws can be corrected and mechanisms for enhancing the meritorious portions of the work.

Fairness and Impartiality: The review should express an open-minded and impartial view without personal bias or prejudice.

Diplomacy: Review comments should be free of inflammatory or derogatory language.

Completeness: The review should address the whole manuscript including the title, the abstract, the introduction and literature review, the objectives of the work, the appropriateness of the methods, the discussion of results, the conclusions (based on the results), the significance of the work according to the criteria for the journal under consideration, the clarity of writing style, adherence to the ASABE Guide for Authors, appropriate and correct use of units (including significant numerical values), appropriate use of tables, graphs, and figures, clarity of graphical materials (sizes, line thickness, style, etc.), and the appropriate use of statistical analysis (as appropriate to the methods).

Review aids: The following review questions may be useful.

  • Is the title appropriate?
  • Is the abstract complete and concise?
  • Are the objectives well stated?
  • Do the conclusions answer objectives? Are they warranted?
  • Are the references present, germane, complete?
  • Is the clarity of expression and continuity sufficient?
  • Is the writing concise? Are irrelevant aspects eliminated?
  • Is the presentation complete?
  • Is the scientific-engineering approach used?
  • Are the latest techniques used?
  • Are findings usable by other engineers/users/researchers?
  • Is the work timely?
  • Does it have fundamental value?
  • Is the approach original or innovative?
  • Will findings directly or indirectly benefit society in general and agriculture specifically?
  • Does the subject of the discussion introduce factors that might adversely affect safety? If so, are precautions or future work are planned or recommended to eliminate these adverse effects?