Reviewing #1--Getting started

This post is imported from Facebook, so if you were in on that discussion, this will be a repeat.

Reviewing is time consuming. How do I get started?
Review a paper like you would read it. Hardly anyone starts with the title and reads straight through. You'll probably have already read the abstract or you wouldn't have accepted the invitation to review. Read the introduction then the conclusions. The conclusions should logically follow from the introduction. If they do, it will probably be a good paper; if they don't, prepare for a bit of a slog. (NB: Editors try to catch the really bad ones, but keep in mind the editor might not be an expert.) Then, with the basic gist of the paper, start over and read it through. 
I have found it very useful to keep a Word file open as I read and, where I have specific comments or issues I want to return to, I note them in the file. The line numbers in the ms are very helpful for this. Once you've read it through, go to your Word document and write the review, referring back to the manuscript if needed. Then go back to the abstract and make sure it captures the paper accurately.
Unless you have an uncontrollable "red pen", don't bother with corrections of spelling, punctuation, etc. Don't cross-check the references with the reference list. This isn't your job and it's really, really time consuming. That's not to say it isn't appreciated, but you don't have time for that.
Finally, if the journal asks for a "rating" (e.g., "minor revision", "major revision", etc.), make sure it lines up with your review. It is exceedingly common to see "minor revision" coupled with a review that actually calls for "major revision".
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