For information on the new Multi-Review module, click here for instructions. If you are using the Standard Review module continue reading below. If you would like to upgrade your Standard Review module, after reading about the Multi-Review module functionality, contact sales@x-cd.com

After you have assigned your submissions to reviewers, you may email them from the system, letting them know they have been marked as a reviewer for the conference and have been assigned submissions to review.

They will then log in to a secure reviewer portal and begin reviewing all of their assigned submissions, which you will manage from the backend administratively.

The peer review component of the X-CD system can be as simple or as robust as you need. Here is how it functions at its most basic level:

1. Assign contacts in your system as reviewers of submissions.
   
2. Assign reviewers to individual submissions, OR assign submissions to individual reviewers.
   
3. Send out mass emails to your reviewers (once you have finished assigning the reviewers) notifying them that they have been invited to review submissions, and to login at www.xcdsystem.com/youconference/reviewer using their [email] and [password]. Customize this email from the Submission Reviewer Email (Submission Module > Review Module > Settings).
   
4. Create Final Status Categories (Accept, Reject, Accept for Poster, Reject for Poster etc.)
   
5. Assign Final Statuses - You can assign final statuses one by one, or run batch assignments by checking off multiple submissions, and assigning them to a final status at one time. 
   
6. Send Final Status Notifications - Filter by final status categories and send out bulk notification emails when you are ready.
   

NOTE: If you have any specific review requirements or questions, please contact our sales or support team, and we will be happy to assist. We are able to create automatic custom assignment scripts to automatically assign all submissions to certain reviewers based on specific review criteria or algorithms.

The purpose of this article is to provide a series of steps in how to use the Submission / Paper Review module. This article is useful for beginners, but also to those who may need a refresher.

Each of the below steps correspond to one or more detailed articles within the Submission / Paper Review Module itself. Note: all steps are the same regardless of which Review module you are in.

The DEFAULT Review module is the Review Submissions module. There is also a separate Paper Review module which can be used specifically for the redline review of documents which may be subscribed to for an additional fee.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

 Submission Review and Paper Review are two different and separate review modules.

You must be in the Review Submissions for the Submission Review Module

OR

You must be in Review Papers for the Paper Review Module.

TIP: Print this list off and check off the items as you follow the steps.

1. Determine what questions and grading scale will be used on the Reviewer Form and create the Review Fields for the Reviewer Form.
   
   • If you want these fields summed and averaged, then ensure to define them as summation field types
     
• Which fields will be scoring fields? - View FAQ
  
• Do you want to include an abstain field type? - View FAQ
  
• Do you want to include a Reviewer Comments field so you may [hotkey] the comments in the email or allow the primary author to be able to log back in the submission system to view the comments? - View FAQ
  

2. Determine the Final Statuses and create the Final Statuses and the content of the final status notification email for each Final Status - View FAQ

3. Assign the abstracts to the Reviewers (Note: Ensure your submission site is closed to New Submissions and Edit Submissions - see FAQ)

• Decide on which method to use to assign the abstracts (If you are using the X-CD Reviewer Sign-up form for your conference, proceed to use method 4, and go to Step 2):
  
  1. Import a list of reviewer emails, and the submission ID numbers each reviewer will review - View FAQ
     OR
  2. Manually assign in the System by Contact - View FAQ
     OR
  3. Manually Assign in the System by Submission ID
     OR
  4. Use the Reviewer Pool and Assignment Wizard where the Assignment Wizard will auto-assign reviewers. (Note: The wizard will not assign a reviewer if the reviewer is listed as the primary author or as a co-author on a submission)
     
  1. View Reviewer Pool FAQ's to create import files and import
     
  2. View Assignment Wizard FAQ
     

4. Review your Review Site Settings (i.e. blind review, what abstract fields are visible) - View FAQ

5. Open the Review System - View FAQ

6. Send the Invitation to Review Email to reviewers - View FAQ

• Note: Reviewers do not all need to be added at once. You may add some reviewers and send the Invitation to Review Email, then subsequently add additional reviewers and send the Invitation to Review Email at another time, as it will email the new reviewers who have been recently added and who have not been emailed the Invitation to Review yet.
  

7. Send the All Incomplete Reviewers Email Reminder(s) - View FAQ

• Note: You may perform this step multiple times over a period of time, as only those with incomplete reviews at the point in time you are sending the email will be notified.
  

8. Once all the reviews are completed, download the review scores to determine who are accepted - View FAQs

9. Assign a Final Status to each abstract - View FAQ

10. Send Final Status notification email to primary authors - View FAQ