No. The policy at JMIR journals is that authors must suggest peer-reviewers, which we may or may not use.
Tip: To find potential reviewers, search pubmed for similar papers. Some of them list email addresses of the first authors (click the plus sign next to Author Information, see screenshot below). Suggest these names and email addresses.
Do not suggest reviewers which have a potential conflict of interest (see How does JMIR define a Conflict of Interest (COI)?) including but not restricted to:
- not from the same department/unit
- no friends, relatives, spouses...
- no supervisors or thesis committee members
- no colleagues or researchers you have collaborated/published with in the past 5 years, or with whom you are currently writing a grant application or manuscript
- suggest peer reviewers using their institution/workplace email (not a personal email address)
- we recommend suggesting a diverse range of reviewers (different countries/institutions, etc.)
WARNING: Instances of attempted or actual peer-review fraud, where authors knowingly nominate peer-reviewers which have an obvious competing interest, who contact or influence reviewers to submit reviews, or who assume false identities as "fake reviewers" will be treated as scientific misconduct, and we will reserve steps such as immediate rejection or retraction of already published manuscripts, and informing the host institution of authors about the attempted or actual misconduct.
External reports about peer-review fraud and the consequences:
- China cracks down after investigation finds massive peer-review fraud
- Peer-Review Fraud — Hacking the Scientific Publication Process
Related:
- How does the peer-review process look like at JMIR journals?
- How does the JMIR peer-review form look like?