Peer Review |  | Contact the authors directly... |
|  |  | In serving asjournal reviewers researchers need to abide by the general guidelines for this process. Direct contact with an author whose manuscript has been provided for review is not appropriate, since the review is a transaction between the editor and the reviewer. All communication should be directed to the editor, not the author. Also, material contained in manuscripts is considered privileged information and should not be used by reviewers until that information comes into the public domain, e.g., through publication. Unauthorized use of such unpublished materials is considered stealing of intellectual property. If the graduate student does not wish to wait until the manuscript is published, however, she can explore other acceptable avenues for obtaining this information. Has the protocol been referred to in other publications or public forums, such as research meetings? If so, the graduate student can use this information in the public domain as the basis for contacting the author. Alternatively, she can contact the author and indicate problems she may have with her existing experimental approach and seek advice. This gives the author the option of sharing unpublished information in advance or not.