As a reviewer, you will be notified of a review request either through an email sent to your registered email address or by logging into your dashboard on the conference platform.
From the “My Queue” list, locate the submission title and clicking the “Review” link will direct you to the first step of the review process within the submission record.
Once you click on “Review”, you will be redirected to a page that contains things like the full article file to download and the deadline to complete the review.
After accepting to do a review you will be directed to the editor’s Special Instructions information (if any).
Conduct the article review and provide feedback as necessary. If needed, you may also upload additional files. Once the review is complete, you can proceed to make a recommendation or decision on the paper.
After you have finished making your decision, you will receive the following notification.
At this stage, the paper review process has been completed. The next step is for the editor to process the review results and share them with the author. As a reviewer, your role is now to wait and see if additional reviews are required after the author revises the paper.
Review Form Types
When conducting a review, you will fill out a form containing various types of questions. Conference managers can set up review forms with the following six question types:
- Text (Short Text Box): For short answers, such as a single sentence or a few words.
- Textarea (Long Text Box): For longer answers, such as detailed comments or explanations.
- Checkbox: You can select one or more available options. Suitable for questions with multiple applicable answers.
- Radio (Select One): You can only choose one option from the available choices.
- Select/Dropdown (Choose from List): Pick one answer from a dropdown list. This type can also be used for weighted scoring (see the next section).
- Upload (File Upload): Upload supporting files, such as review documents or additional notes.
Weighted Scoring System
For Select/Dropdown questions, conference managers can set up a weighted scoring system. Each option in the dropdown has a specific score value, and each question has a weight that determines how much it influences the total score.
When you select an answer from the dropdown, the system multiplies that option’s value by the question’s weight, then adds it to scores from other weighted questions. The result is a total review score calculated automatically.
This system helps standardize assessments across reviewers, allowing editors to compare review results more objectively and fairly.
Two Types of Feedback
When providing feedback, you will see two different comment fields:
- For Author & Editor — Comments you write in this field will be visible to the article author and the editor. Use this field to provide input, improvement suggestions, or comments you want to convey directly to the author.
- For Editor Only — Comments in this field are confidential and can only be seen by the editor. Use this field to share sensitive opinions, concerns about the article, or notes you do not want to share with the author.
Review Guidelines
On the review page, you will see a “View Guidelines” button if the conference manager has provided the following information:
- Review Guidelines — Instructions and criteria you should use when evaluating an article. These guidelines help ensure all reviewers assess based on the same standards.
- Competing Interests Statement — Information about potential conflicts of interest that may be related to the article you are reviewing.
If the conference manager has not set up guidelines or competing interests statements, this button will not appear.
Save for Later
You don’t have to complete your review in one sitting. Use the “Save for Later” button to save all your work without submitting the final review.
- All answers, comments, and files you have uploaded will be saved securely.
- You can leave the review page and come back anytime before the deadline.
- Your review will only be submitted when you press the “Submit Review” button.
- Once the final review is submitted, you can no longer make changes or save for later.
This feature is especially useful if you need to read the article thoroughly, discuss it with colleagues, or perform additional checks before making a final decision.
