Instructions to WestJEM Reviewers

Thank you for your contribution to the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health (WestJEM)

Proposed Reviewer Guidelines/Expectations for WestJEM

Reviewers are expected to:

• Perform two to three reviews per month.
• Keep current their availability to review on the website.
• Maintain an up-to-date email address for correspondence with the journal.
• Have an updated CV on file with journal office.

When a reviewer has committed to review:

• Reviews must be completed within 14 days from date of the initial request.
  • If a reviewer does not reply within 3 days of initial invitation, an automatically generated electronic reminder will be sent on days 3, 5, and final reminder on day 7.
  • If a reviewer does not respond to any of the requests to review, the reviewer will receive a written correspondence from the journal releasing him or her as a reviewer.
• Reviews must be thorough and contain a basic amount of information in order for the section editor to generate a composite review.
  • Critique of methodology
  • Statement of impact
  • Strengths
  • Significant limitations that were not addressed
  • Fatal flaws
  • Comment on the necessity and suitability of tables and figures (tables are typically at the end of the manuscript and figures under supplemental content)
  • Comment on clarity, brevity, grammar and spelling. If there are minor errors, please relate them in the review. If there are major errors as a whole, you may relate this fact without having to fix them line by line.

The journal will provide all reviewers with:

• An annual update detailing the number of reviews performed over the preceding calendar year and an official letter of thanks on WestJEM letterhead for your academic record and promotion.
• Yearly acknowledgement of best reviewers in print.

Before the review:

Please see the following link as a helpful tool in providing your review: Peer Reviewing Health Research – Toolkit

When you are ready to submit the review, follow the steps in the PDF below.

Instructions to Submit the Review

Questions can be directed to WestJEM’s editorial office at editor@westjem.org.

Updated February 11, 2019