New Services for Our Community: Reviewer Certificates and Improved Reviewer Suggestions
At the Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Food Sciences (JMBFS), we continuously work to improve the transparency, recognition, and efficiency of our editorial and peer-review processes.
We are pleased to introduce two new features designed for our authors and reviewers:
- Online Reviewer Certificate Generator
- Improved System for Suggesting Potential Reviewers
These tools are now integrated into our workflow and available to all collaborators of JMBFS.
1. Online Reviewer Certificate Generator
Peer review is essential for maintaining scientific quality, yet the work of reviewers often remains invisible. To better recognize the time and expertise invested by our reviewers, JMBFS has introduced an online certificate generator.
What is it?
After completing a review for JMBFS, reviewers will receive an e-mail from the editorial office acknowledging their contribution. This message now includes a secure link to a web page where the reviewer can generate a personalized Certificate of Peer Review.
The certificate includes:
- Reviewer’s full name
- (Optional) institutional affiliation
- Title of the reviewed manuscript
- Manuscript ID
- Name of the journal
- Date of completion of the review
- Official certificate text and editor-in-chief signature line
The certificate is formatted so that it can be printed or saved as a PDF and used for CVs, personal records, or institutional evaluation purposes.
How does it work?
- After you submit your review in the JMBFS system, you will receive a thank-you e-mail.
- The e-mail contains a unique link leading to the Review Certificate page.
- On this page, you:
- verify or fill in your name and affiliation,
- check the manuscript ID and title,
- confirm the date when the review was completed.
- After submitting the form, your certificate is generated and displayed on screen.
- You can then use the “Print / Save as PDF” option in your browser to keep your certificate.
For security and traceability, each certificate is:
- recorded in an internal log by the journal, and
- issued only once per reviewer and manuscript (the system prevents repeated generation for the same combination).
This ensures proper use of the certificate and protects its credibility.
2. New Online Form for Suggesting Reviewers
In some cases, the peer-review process can be delayed because invited reviewers are unable to respond or decline the invitation. To avoid unnecessary delays and to move submissions forward more efficiently, we have introduced a new online form for suggesting potential reviewers.
When will you receive this request?
If the editorial office encounters difficulties in finding available reviewers for your manuscript, you may receive an e-mail asking you to suggest up to four experts who could be invited to review your work.
The e-mail will contain a link to a secure page where you can enter:
- Name of each proposed reviewer
- Professional e-mail address
- Institutional affiliation
- Keywords describing their expertise (e.g., food microbiology, fermentation, probiotics)
Important criteria for suggested reviewers
To maintain ethical and scientific integrity, we kindly ask authors to respect the following principles when suggesting reviewers:
- Reviewers should be experts in the subject area of your manuscript.
- They should not be from your own institution.
- They should not be your recent collaborators or co-authors (within the last 3–5 years).
- They should have no conflict of interest with any of the authors.
- Professional, institutional e-mail addresses are strongly preferred.
The information you provide will be used by the editorial office to identify suitable reviewers. Please note that suggesting a reviewer does not guarantee that the person will be invited or will accept the invitation. All recommendations are evaluated by the editors in accordance with the journal’s policies.
Why Are We Introducing These Changes?
These two new tools have a common goal:
- To recognize and support reviewers, whose contributions are essential but often under-acknowledged.
- To help authors actively participate in the peer-review process in a transparent and ethical way.
- To shorten delays in the evaluation process and maintain a smooth workflow for all participants.
We believe that these features will strengthen the collaboration between authors, reviewers, and the editorial team, and further improve the quality and credibility of the journal.
Questions or Feedback?
If you have any questions about:
- using the reviewer certificate page,
- suggesting potential reviewers,
- or any other aspect of our editorial process,
please do not hesitate to contact the editorial office at [jmbfs@jmbfs.org] or through the contact form on the JMBFS website.
We thank all authors and reviewers for their continued trust and support of Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Food Sciences.
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