The COPE guidelines for peer reviewers may be of use when creating peer review instructions. Otherwise here are some Tuwhera examples:
1) Dear Reviewer, Thank you for reviewing this manuscript. When writing your review, please bear in mind the tricky balance between making sure that the journal publishes only quality articles and our responsibility to assist authors to write the best article possible. It is useful to identify what is valuable in each manuscript, and to present its weaknesses in terms of what needs to be done to improve it. Take care to omit any personal references to yourself. The Editors prefer that you do not submit a copy of the manuscript with track or margin notes. You may provide a page of specific review and editorial notes if you wish. Any track or margin notes that can be linked to the reviewer’s name will not be forwarded to the author. These guidelines direct the reviewer to the review form:
2) The editors are seeking quality research papers with reference to: Relevance to the journal’s AsiaPacific, Australia, New Zealand or ethnic diversity publishing profile. Research methodology and data reporting. The quality of the writing and argument. See the review form for full details.
3) Reviewers will be asked to give recommendations on their review of the manuscript according to these classifications: 1. Accept Submission 2. Revisions Required (please specify whether major or minor revisions are required) 3. Resubmit for Review 4. Resubmit Elsewhere 5. Decline Submission Reviewers recommend the manuscript be accepted with no changes if the manuscript has been submitted to an excellent standard with robust design and clear and justified outcomes and implications. Revisions with 'minor changes' require the author to consider different aspects of the study that the reviewers feel might elevate or improve the publication. Revisions with 'major changes' involve the authors making changes to aspects of the publication. This may include adding another variable for statistical analysis or identifying further literature to support a particular aspect/design of the study that would add to its relevance or contribution to the field.