eferee Reports

This page explains the structure of the reports and three ways of transmitting them to the editorial office. A referee report consists of two parts: (i) a cover letter with the manuscript number/title and your opinion, and (ii) the report itself intended to be transmitted to the author(s).

The editorial address is:
Hamid Beladi (economics) or Carl R. Chen (finance)
International Review of Economics & Finance
School of Business
University of Dayton
300 College Park
Dayton, OH 45469-2237
USA

Email: IREF@udayton.edu

E-mail Reports

E-mail reports are acceptable. Actually, they are preferred to reports by fax or mail, because snail mail slows the editorial process and fax reports are often difficult to read because of low resolution and small letters. If it is successfully transmitted, you will get a confirmation from the editorial office. Do not use MIME.

Fax Reports

Fax 1 copy each of your cover letter and comments. If it is not too much trouble, also mail them.

Reports by Snail Mail ONLY

Please mail 1 cover letter plus 2 copies of your comments.

Cover Letter

As we enter the new century, the editorial process should be improved. You can reduce the frustration of authors and help the profession immensely if your cover letter includes:

manuscript number (it takes time to locate the manuscript without it).
the title (in case there is an error in the manuscript number, this insures that the editorial office locates the manuscript).
your postal address
your email address (please include it in the text). In case the authors have brief questions by email concerning how to revise the manuscript, the office will try to convey the message to the referees.
your summary opinion
- A. Accept in present form or with slight changes.
- B. Accept for publication after minor revision, with a suggestion about the length.
- C. Reconsider for publication after extensive revision.
- D. Reject, with suggestions for possible submission elsewhere.
- E. Shrink to a note (of no more than 10 pages) with suggestions

Report

Prepare your comments that include your reasons, suggestions, and concerns. Comment on the manuscript's originality, clarity, contribution to literature, and relevance to real world problems. Make suggestions about its length, organization, tables, and figures. The bottom line is this: if there is an important idea in the paper, make constructive comments (e.g., how to streamline the arguments, what parts should be cut) and help authors publish the paper. If not, say so frankly. There is no point in beating about the bush. If the paper is clearly below IREF standards, detailed comments are unnecessary.

If you lose the manuscript

Referees who travel frequently occasionally lose manuscripts. If this happens, just contact the editorial office, and you will get another copy. Nothing is more appreciated by authors than a prompt referee report.

"Writing a referee report in the old days."
With apologies to "Monet painting in his floating studio" by Manet WebMuseum, Paris Manet's painting