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Instructions for reviewers
Objectives of Peer Review
The objective of peer review is to provide constructive but rigorous encouragement regarding the scientific content and English language quality of a report. All comments and suggestions of our peer reviewers are given in a respectful tone, and returned to the journal’s editorial office in a timely manner. Peer reviewers also help to ensure the ethical integrity of each manuscript, by pointing out any suspected or identified cases of plagiarism, either scientific or textual, in whole or in part.

Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology complies to full extent with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editor's uniform requirements for manuscripts.
Confidentiality
All communications and documents shared among the editorial staff, representatives of XIA & HE PUBLISHING INC, and peer reviewers are kept strictly confidential and are never shared with a third party. Peer reviewers agree not to discuss any portion of the manuscripts they are entrusted to review with anyone outside of the staff or representatives of XIA & HE PUBLISHING INC.
 
The practice of transferring a manuscript that is assigned for peer review to another colleague (including but not limited to graduate students, post docs, and any other trainee or collaborator) is considered unethical and forbidden. A peer reviewer must obtain prior approval from the journal’s editorial office before using a peer review assignment as a training opportunity or consulting a colleague with greater expertise in a particular area related to the topic. The request for such approval must include the name(s) and affiliation(s) of the proposed colleague(s), and an explicit declaration of assurance that the reviewer assigned by the journal will act as the principal reviewer and retain sole responsibility for the quality and integrity of the review content.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure Policy
Any conflict of interest (financial, professional, personal, or otherwise) must be disclosed to the journal’s editorial office as soon as it is recognized or suspected.
 
In the event that a peer reviewer recognizes a conflict of interest that may compromise his or her ability to make an unbiased assessment of a manuscript, the reviewer is not penalized for denying a request to review the manuscript. If the staff or representatives of 
XIA & HE PUBLISHING LIMITED discover potential evidence of a conflict of interest violation, these are addressed on a case-by-case basis through investigation and recusal.