Instructions for Referees

1 Quality: An assessment of whether the paper shows sufficient promise to pursue the editorial process. Outright rejection of papers is possible at all stages of the editorial process, and please do not hesitate to recommend it if your reading and comments indicate that there is no promise of a high quality paper in the time available for revision. Of the papers commissioned for presentation at any one panel meeting, it is common for one or two not to reach the first draft stage, for a further one or two not to be accepted for panel presentation, and for one or two to be rejected after panel presentation. If the paper has been submitted to you, however, this is a sign that the editors found the paper's idea and scope interesting at the proposal stage (commissioned proposals already represent the outcome of a very selective procedure, usually involving several iterations between editors and authors). Even when the current state of the paper does not fulfill expectations, it is often possible to help the authors to find a version (perhaps a shortened version) that does. It is the joint responsibility of the referee and the editors to find how that may be possible, though when a paper is likely to face eventual rejection it may be better for all parties to recognise this rather than putting in further fruitless effort