Esther Johnston, Scientific Editor – Chemical Science Blog

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Chemical Science Themed Collection on Organofluorine Chemistry

26 Aug 2026

Dedicated to Professor David O’Hagan to mark his retirement from the University of St Andrews (UK) and his seminal contributions to shaping contemporary organofluorine chemistry, this themed collection brings together invited contributions that highlight the vibrancy of fluorine chemistry, including Reviews and Perspectives that highlight emerging areas in the field. Guested Edited by Professor Ryan Gilmour, Associate Editor, Chemical Science.

Reviews & Perspectives

Fluorinated carbohydrate-based vaccines Elena Chikunova, James Suri, Kathrin Siebold, Ryan Gilmour*
		Recent advances in the degradation of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) at low temperature (≤100 °C) Matthew E. Lowe, Matthew N. Hopkinson, Dominik J.,* Erli Lu,* Roly J. Armstrong*
Unique fluoroalkyl substituents: is there life after CF₃? Vladimir Kubyshkin,* Pavel K. Mykhailiuk*
		Synthesis and properties of N-(trifluoromethyl)amides Miriam L. O’Duill,* Isabel L. Wood, Isaac Brooks, Charlotte McIvor

Edge Articles

		Inhibitor fluorination pattern modulates protein surface dynamics and chemically induced dimerization Eric Schwegler, Jean-Martin Harder, Marco D. Preuss, Charlotte Guhl, Shuaibing Zhang, Annika Wagner, Nicole Bader, Pierre Stallforth, Hermann Schindelin, Till Opatz, Markus Lakemeyer, Ute Hellmich*
Fluorination of Alkoxide Ligands: Neither too much, Nor too little for Optimal Ligand Field Strength Felix Jeffrey de Zwart; Noah Gehr; Sophie W Anferov; Joel Landis; Christophe Coperet*
		Trifluoromethylbismuth dications: pronounced parallel substrate activation, Lewis superacidity, and catalytic application Ahmed Fetoh, Heba Youssef, Hendrik Kilian, Bernhard Roling, Crispin Lichtenberg*
*Genomic signatures highlight stress-response evasion and translational tuning as key drivers of Escherichia coli* adaptation to fluorinated tryptophans** Christin Treiber-Kleinke, Jana Madeleine Göller, Justin Liba, Michael Chun-Hin Wong, Silver Anthony Wolf, Allison Ann Berger, Torsten Semmler, Nediljko Budisa,* Beate Koksch*
		Ligand-enabled palladium-catalyzed late-stage C–H fluorination of arenes Chitrala Teja, Minhajul Islam, Jagrit Grover, Yogesh Bairagi, Velayudham Sankar, Rajagopal Pothikumar, Arvind Kumar Yadav, Debabrata Maiti*
Homoleptic teflate coordination at platinum(iv): synthesis and characterization of [Pt(OTeF₅)₆]²⁻, and covalency trends revealed by the OSLO method Niklas Limberg, Jacob Mack, Alberto Pérez-Bitrián, André Dallmann, Simon Steinhauer, Sebastian Riedel*
		Recycling fluoropolymers to acyl fluorides through shuttle catalysis Shannon E. S. Farley, Amanda A. Fogh, Mark R. Crimmin*
PhSO₂CF₂H as a difluoromethylene bridge connecting electrophiles and electronically diverse alkenes Yunlong Zhao, Kaidi Zhu, Feng Zhao, Yanxia Zhang, Chuanfa Ni, Jinbo Hu*
		*Incorporation and properties of the tris-fluoromethylated motif into heterocycles, amino acids and analogues of elexacaftor and tezacaftor* Josephine M. Stewart, Bruno A. Piscelli, David B. Cordes, Rodrigo A. Cormanich,* David O’Hagan*
*Triarylselenonium triflates provide efficient access to no-carrier-added ortho-, meta-, and para-[¹⁸F]Fluoroareness* Jake Sypniewski, Yong-Sok Lee, Phuc Tran, Sean Costner, Fabrice G. Siméon,* Victor W. Pike*
		Trifluoromethylation of pyridines through skeletal rearrangement Haiwen Wang, Nilanjan Bhaduri, Michael F. Greaney*
Decoding cryptic defluorinases through a latent generative sequence landscape Ke Ji, Sydney S. Barnes, Cheyenne Ziegler, Marjan Nikpey, Jose Alberto de la Paz, Elizabeth K. Pack, Nikita Kvasovs, Faruck Morcos,* Sheel C. Dodani*
		AgBF₄-catalyzed insertion of unactivated alkynes into C–F bonds of acyl fluorides Tomoya Emmei; Mamoru Tobisu*
*¹⁸F-labelling of (hetero)aryl halides via* sequential Miyaura borylation/copper-mediated radiofluorination** Abdias N. Noel, Samuel G. Greco, Mami Horikawa, Taylor E. Spiller, Diana L. Nichols, Jason A. Witek, Allen F. Brooks, Peter J. H. Scott,* Melanie S. Sanford*
		Using xenon difluoride and 2 Li[Al{OC(CF₃)₃}₄] as an oxidant: from organoxenonium intermediates to (fluoro-)biphenyl radical cations Konstantin Kloiber, Tim Heizmann, Benoît Lacombe, Philipp Thielert, Malte Sellin, Tim Schwandt, Sabine Richert, Stefan Weber, Ingo Krossing*
*Electrochemical deoxygenative trifluoromethylallenylation of propargylic alcohols via* sodium-mediated pre-association** Jihoon Jang, Hyunwoo Kim, Eun Jin Cho*
		*A unified strategy for remote C–H fluorination of phenylacetic acids and their homologues at the meta-position* Kun Zhou, Xin Chen, Yue Wang, Yang-Jie Mao,* Xin Yang, Kai Liu, Qi Pan, Dong-Liang Pan, Dan-Qian Xu,* Shao-Jie Lou*
How fluorine substituents strengthen aryl C–H bonds Daniel A. Santos Oliveira, Daniela Rodrigues Silva, Ataualpa A. C. Braga, Célia Fonseca Guerra, Robin N. Perutz,* Odile Eisenstein,* F. Matthias Bickelhaupt*
		*Rhodium-catalyzed atroposelective C–H fluoroallylation of heteroarenes with gem-difluorocyclopropanes* Junwei Li, Fen Wang,* Xian He, Genping Huang,* Zi-Qiang Rong, Xingwei Li*
*Regioselective synthesis of aza-saccharins via* anionic [1,4] Fries-type rearrangement of aryl sulfonimidoyl fluorides** Mario Leypold,* Lorenzo Poli, Max Earl, Okky D. Putra, Karolina Kwapien, Richard J. Lewis, John J. Murphy, Marta Passamonti, Lena M. von Sydow, Victor Spelling, Ioannis Asproudis, Malvika Sardana, Claudia Gatti, Hikaru Seki, Thomas Lemaitre, Radvile Juskaite, Ranganath Gopalakrishnan, Stuart J. Francis, Cristina Gardelli, Per-Ola Norrby, Werngard Czechtizky
		Enhanced crystallinity of tetrahalopyridyl (THP) derivatized compounds Callum S. Begg, Viktoriya G. Dragomanova, Dmitry S. Yufit, Toby J. Blundell, Steven L. Cobb, Mark A. Fox,* Matthew O. Kitching,* William D. G. Brittain*
Bidirectional skeletal remodelling of SF₅-nitrobenzenes into azepine, bicyclic, and benzimidazole frameworks Muhamad Zulfaqar Bacho, Shiwei Wu, Takuya Muramatsu, Chavakula Nagababu, Daiki Harano, Seishu Ochiai, Norio Shibata*
		*Conversion of trifluoromethyls into esters along with polyether upcycling via* cation-transfer-catalyzed C–O/C–F metathesis** Zhuojun Li, Xiangqian Shi, Dongke Zhang, Qian Wu*
A Brønsted acid–base approach for the net monoselective C–F substitution of (trifluoromethyl)alkanes Nicholas J. Coradi, Jeffrey S. Bandar*
		Negative cooperativity in the formation of two H-bonds with an oxygen H-bond acceptor Maria Cristina Misuraca, Christopher A. Hunter*
Enantioselective electrophilic α-fluorination catalyzed by an artificial metalloenzyme Jinmeng Yu, Chang Wang, Wenhao Hu, Huan Wang, Jing Zhao, Hui-Jie Pan*

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RSC Joint Collection on Photoluminescent Organic Materials

24 Aug 2026

This themed collection brings together invited contributions showcasing the different kinds of phenomena leading to photoluminescence in organic materials systems, with articles published in Chemical Science, Journal of Materials Chemistry C, and PCCP and Reviews published in Chem Soc Rev (Chemical Society Reviews). Guested Edited by Professor Subi George (JNCASR Bangalore), Professor Mahesh Hariharan (IISER Thiruvananthapuram) and Professor Frank Würthner (University of Würzburg), the collection covers the development, underlying photophysics, excited state dynamics and various experimental and computational tools used for probing and analysis of photoluminescent organic materials.

In Chem Soc Rev:

Reviews

		Narrow-spectrum and strong-absorptive fluorescent dyes: molecular design strategy and electroluminescence applications Wenle Tan, Xinyu Wang, Donghao Wen, Yue Yu, Yuguang Ma
Combining quantum chemistry, machine learning and rate theory for organic luminescent materials Rongrong Li, Qi Ou,* Zhigang Shuai*
		Small molecule helical emitters Tadashi Mori*
Emissive organic crystals and device applications Shuai Zhao, Xue-Dong Wang,* Hongbing Fu*
		Multicolour luminescence phenomena of vibration-induced emission Xin Jin, Xuwen Sun, Yuting Zou, Zhiyun Zhang,* He Tian*
Luminescence in macrocyclic supramolecular systems Shuai Zhao,* Xue-Dong Wang, Hongbing Fu*
		Fluorescent merocyanines: from fundamental properties to applications as molecular probes, in bioimaging and as emissive dye aggregates Julian Fichtner, Yvonne Wagenhäuser, Menyhárt Sárosi, Matthias Stolte, Frank Würthner*

Training Reviews

Strong exciton coupling: a practical toolbox for computing interaction energies, wavefunctions, and optical spectra Rasmus Ringström, S. Rasoul Hashemi, Yuanxin Liang, Nicholas J. Hestand, Karl Börjesson*
		Circularly polarized luminescence: an easy path from molecules to supramolecular systems and beyond Francesco Bertocchi, Davide Giavazzi, Shahana Nizar, D. K. Andrea Phan Huu, Lorenzo Savi; Francesca Terenziani, Cristina Sissa, Anna Painelli*

In Chemical Science:

Reviews

Organic supramolecular assemblage-confined photoluminescence Hengzhi Zhang, Yu Liu*
		Delicate molecular design, self-assembly and functional applications of chiral cyclophanes Yiming Zhang, Hongzhe Jia, Lijin Xu,* Minghua Liu, Guanghui Ouyang*

Edge Articles

Azulene as an Anomaly in Triplet-State Engineering Via Bromination and/or Carbonylation: Internal Conversion Overrides Intersystem Crossing Kavya Vinod, Claire Tonnelé,* Anup Rana, Amalnadh T., P. E. Swathi Krishna, Juan Carlos Roldao, Henrik Ottosson,* David Casanova, Mahesh Hariharan*
		Tuning Chiroptical Properties and Device Hyperfluorescence Efficiency via Acceptor Modification in an Intramolecularly Sensitised TADF Dendrimer Mahni Fatahi, Yan Xu, Dongyang Chen, Praveen Choudhary, Jhon Sebastian Oviedo Ortiz, Jasmin Seibert, Stefan Braese, Jeanne Crassous,* Xiaohong Zhang,* Eli Zysman-Colman*
Time-Resolved Image-Guided Type-I Photosensitization Using a Delayed Fluorescent Emitter Subhadeep Das,* Arnab Mandal, Pradyumna Joshi, Shradha V. T. K., Peter William McDonald, Rémi Métivier, Ram Kumar Mishra, Abhijit Patra*
		Additive-induced kinetic control and chiral amplification in circularly polarized luminescence (CPL)-emitting secondary supramolecular polymers Yaiswarya Das Karmakar, Chandreyee Banerjee, Payel Khanra, Bijoy Ghosh, Lisa Roy, Anindita Das*
Chalcogen-driven supramolecular organization and emission modulation of ladder-type heteroacenes for high-performance organic semiconductors Yusei Tanaka, Tatsuya Mori, Yu Seok Yang, Yuka Kojiguchi, Subham Ranjan, Takuma Yasuda*
		Two-State Resonance Deep-Red Narrowband OLED Emitters Xinyu Wang, Hanlin Gan, Yahuan Lai, Jinpu Lei, Ling Lin, Jiangbo Liu, Donghao Wen, Wenle Tan, Bohan Wang, Yue Yu,* Yuguang Ma*
Regioisomeric carbazole-dicyano-dioxin AIDF emitters for efficient triplet harvesting, two-photon absorption and bioimaging Anwesha Bera, Madhusudan Dutta, Ajay J. Malik, Madan Ambhore, Mayurika Lahiri, Partha Hazra*
		Exploring Viscosity Sensitivity of p-extended Coumarin Fluorogen-based PRPGs for Precise Photorelease of Valproic Acid: Detection and Defibrillation of TDP-43 Aggregation Subham Pal, Sagarika Das, Suchhanda Biswas, Sri Dinesh Murugan, Nihar Ranjan Jana, Asoke Prasun Chattopadhyay, N. D. Pradeep Singh*
Chalcogen-bonding-mediated chiral recognition and enantioenrichment of organoselenocyanates Tianhao Wang, Aiyou Hao,* Pengyao Xing*
		Excited-state conformational flexibility enables intrinsic amplification of circularly polarized luminescence Jia-Nan Jin, Rui-Long Zhang, Rui Liao,* Feng Wang*
Aromatic phosphonate-based luminophores: universal building blocks for ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence and multifunctional applications Chunli Li, Zizhao Huang, Tao Li, Tengjiao Zhao, Lei Zhou, Zhenyi He,* He Tian, Xiang Ma*
		Colour by design: tuning the solid-state emission of coronene bisimide by tailored matrices Simon Soldner, Ömer E. Öçal, Kazutaka Shoyama, Dominik Horneber, Johannes Düreth, Sven Höfling, Sebastian Klembt, Matthias Stolte, Frank Würthner*
A columnar liquid crystalline self-assembly of a donor–acceptor TADF emitter design for solution-processed OLEDs Joydip De, Yuka Yasuda, Mikihito Takenaka, Amy Drysdale-Dykes, Hironori Kaji,* Eli Zysman-Colman*
		Magnetic-field-dependent delayed fluorescence from thermally activated reverse charge separation of spin-correlated charge separated states Tobias Groß, Paul Mentzel, Marco Holzapfel, Alexander Schmiedel, Ben Woodward, Nikita N. Lukzen, Ulrich E. Steiner,* Christoph Lambert*
A chameleon-like core–shell organic/lanthanide flexible crystal waveguide for bandwidth and colour tunability Melchi Chosenyah, Mehdi Rohullah, Avulu Vinod Kumar, K. V. Jovan Jose,* Rajadurai Chandrasekar*
		Beyond the three-state picture: when higher-lying excited states become quantitatively indispensable Yue He, Daniel Escudero*
Turn-on fluorescence switching and radical formation in a dual-functional negative photochromic dimethyldihydropyrene Sariful Molla, Samyadeb Mahato, Avinash Kumar Ray, Subhajit Bandyopadhyay*
		Supramolecular assembly strategy of multinuclear platinum(ii) complexes for proof-of-concept detection and extraction of perfluorohexanoic acid Nicholas Chun-Ming Yeung, Zhen Chen, Ziyong Chen, Eric Ka-Ho Wong, Vivian Wing-Wah Yam*
Through-space donor–acceptor homoconjugation strategies for emissive radical species Ashton R. Davis, Yujie Zhao, Robert N. Sansone, Colleen H. McAloon, Robert G. Griffin,* Timothy M. Swager*
		Excimer-mediated multiexciton generation in covalently linked cross foldamers of thiophene-fused perylene bisimides Weicong Li, Wei Zhang,* Jiadong Zhou, Linlin Liu, Hongwei Song,* Zengqi Xie*
Flipper dendrimers Nerea Gonzalez-Sanchis, Felix Bayard, Juan Manuel García-Arcos, Tithi Mandal, Aurelien Roux, Naomi Sakai, Stefan Matile*
		Ultrabright and narrowband organic afterglow achieved by molecular engineering of coronene Yuanyuan Chen, Yue Zhang, Guoyi Wu, Ting Luo, Jialiang Jiang, Tengyue Wang, Xiaoya Guo,* Kaka Zhang*
Resonator-based add-drop filters enabled by flexible polymorphic crystals with TADF-RTP motifs Pradip Pattanayak, Ankur Khapre, Shamim Ahmad, Avulu Vinod Kumar, Bishes Ray, Satendra Kumar, Chilla Malla Reddy, Rajadurai Chandrasekar,* Pradipta Purkayastha*
		“Impurity”-driven tunable organic room temperature phosphorescence via conformational regulation in multi host/guest systems Arnab Dutta, Utkarsh Singh, Swapan K. Pati,* Uday Maitra*
Heavy-metal free near infrared photoredox catalysts in cancer phototherapy Mst Nasima Khatun, Satyendu Nandy, Chakali Srinivas, Mrinalini Singh, Ramkrishna Das Adhikari, Sachin Kumar,* Parameswar Krishnan Iyer*

In Journal of Materials Chemistry C:

Research articles

Energy transfer from TSBPA:PO-T2T exciplex to rubrene: how FRET efficiency determines the optimal OLED device structure Lucy A. Weatherill,* Luke W. Bowd-Griffin, Chris Groves, Roderick Mackenzie,* Piotr Pander,* Fernando B. Dias
		Heptagon-fusion as a molecular design strategy for distorted acenes Masato Hisada, Daiki Shimizu,* Kenji Matsuda*
A design strategy for inducing delayed fluorescence via molecular flexibility: structure–property relationships in organic emitters Gyana Prakash Nanda, Suvendu Dey, Bahadur Sk, Rajan Suraksha, Sanyam, Anirban Mondal,* Pachaiyappan Rajamalli*
		The impact of core-substitution on the sequential reduction-induced open-shell structures in napthalenediimides Amjed Khader K. T., A. Arshad, Shant Chhetri, Jesslyn John P., Ratheesh K. Vijayaraghavan*

In Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics:

Research articles

Reversible coupling of radical pair spin dynamics to a locally excited electronic singlet state Ulrich E. Steiner*
		Influence of blend composition on morphology and exciton-charge dynamics in MEH-PPV: PMMA thin films Jung Won Yoon, Habtom B. Gobeze, Kirk S. Schanze*

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Chemical Science Reviewer Spotlight – July 2024

18 Jul 2024

To further thank and recognise the support from our excellent reviewer community, we are highlighting reviewers who have provided exceptional support to the journal over the past year.

This month, we’ll be highlighting Professor Arturo Jimenez-Sanchez, Professor Ganna Gryn’ova, Professor Kazuya Kikuchi, and Professor Michael Weiss. We asked our reviewers a few questions about what they enjoy about reviewing, and their thoughts on how to provide a useful review.

Professor Arturo Jimenez-Sanchez, Institute of Chemistry, UNAM. My research focuses on developing new bioanalytical molecular platforms that integrate aspects of organic synthesis, cellular biology, and optical imaging to create efficient and precise methods for delivering molecules into cells and monitoring cellular processes. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8757-4589

Professor Ganna Gryn’ova, University of Birmingham.I use theoretical and computational chemistry, physics, and materials science in combination with chemical machine learning to explore and exploit diverse functional organic and hybrid materials and molecules. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4229-939X

Professor Kazuya Kikuchi, Osaka University. I use chemical technique to make functional molecules in living cells, body, etc. visible. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7103-1275

Professor Michael Weiss, Indiana University.Our research focuses on the biosynthesis, evolution and function of the insulin molecule with application to (a) monogenic diabetes syndromes in children and (b) molecular engineering of improved insulin analogs for clinical management.

What encouraged you to review for Chemical Science?

Professor Arturo Jimenez-Sanchez: I have always valued Chemical Science for its rigorous standards and the high quality of its published research. Reviewing for the journal allows me to contribute to the scientific community by ensuring that these standards are upheld and by helping to disseminate important advancements in the field.

Professor Ganna Gryn’ova: I always receive great papers to review from Chemical Science, fitting my expertise and interests. Reviewing these papers goes beyond service to community as it enriches me scientifically.

Professor Kikuchi: I sometimes am not happy about the comments made by reviewers, so I should write comments with convincing logic, evidence and background.

Professor Weiss: Because our work is grounded in chemical and biophysical principles, the breadth and depth of the studies in Chemical Science broadly inform our experimental design.

What do you enjoy most about reviewing?

Professor Arturo Jimenez-Sanchez: I enjoy the opportunity to engage with cutting-edge research and to provide constructive feedback that can help authors improve their work. Reviewing also allows me to stay updated on the latest developments and trends in my field.

Professor Ganna Gryn’ova: I enjoy learning how to write better papers from the manuscripts themselves and from the fellow referees’ comments.

Professor Kikuchi: I can make out points which I may overlook when I read paper without critical thinking.

Professor Weiss: It is a pleasure to review for this journal because in general the manuscripts combine focused insight into a given chemical or biochemical system with a broad awareness of foundational principles in bioorganic chemistry. Reviewing such excellent manuscripts has helped us to improve our own style of presentation.

What makes a paper truly stand out for you when reviewing a paper?

Professor Arturo Jimenez-Sanchez: A paper stands out when it presents novel ideas or approaches, is well-structured and clearly written, and includes comprehensive data that supports its conclusions. Innovative methodologies and a strong potential for real-world application also make a significant impact.

Professor Ganna Gryn’ova: A single strong, clear message, which certainly needs to be fully supported by well-executed and well-documented research.

Professor Kikuchi: Original and elegant molecular design.

Are there any steps that reviewers can undertake to improve the quality of their review?

Professor Arturo Jimenez-Sanchez: Reviewers can improve the quality of their reviews by being thorough, objective, and constructive. It is important to provide specific feedback that can help authors enhance their manuscripts, including pointing out both strengths and areas for improvement. Additionally, staying current with the latest research and methodologies in the field can provide valuable context and insights during the review process.

Tune in next month to meet our next group of #ChemSciReviewers!

If you want to learn more about how we support our reviewers, check out our Reviewer Hub.

Interested in joining our ever-growing reviewer community? Apply here now!

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Chemical Science Reviewer Spotlight – February 2024

16 Feb 2024

To further thank and recognise the support from our excellent reviewer community, we are highlighting reviewers who have provided exceptional support to the journal over the past year.

This month, we’ll be highlighting Dr William Unsworth, Professor Kara Bren, Professor Grace Han and Professor David Harding. We asked our reviewers a few questions about what they enjoy about reviewing, and their thoughts on how to provide a useful review.

Dr William Unsworth, University of York. Dr William Unsworth focused on the development of new method in organic synthesis, with a particular focus on ring expansion reactions, large ring synthesis, spirocycle synthesis and biocatalysis.

Professor Kara Bren, University of Rochester. Professor Kara Bren’s group is developing systems for artificial photosynthesis. In particular, we focus on creating and studying biomolecular and bioinspired fuel-forming catalysts as well as biological modules for charge transfer.

Professor Grace Han, Brandeis University. Professor Grace Han’s research centers on the interaction of light with organic molecules including photoswitches in condensed phases with the goal of promoting sustainable solar energy storage and efficient industrial chemical recycling.

Professor David Harding, Suranaree University of Technology. Professor David Harding’s research is concerned with the design and discovery of molecular magnetic switches with applications in sensing and next generation data storage.

What encouraged you to review for Chemical Science?

Professor Grace Han: First off, I enjoy reading and publishing papers in Chemical Science because of its interdisciplinary nature and strong emphasis on novelty, so I also value contributing to the review process as a member of the community.

Professor Kara Bren: When I receive a paper well within my expertise, I am motivated to provide comments that I hope will yield the best possible final publication. I appreciate it when I get constructive comments on my manuscripts from reviewers, and I hope to provide the same to others.

Professor David Harding: Chemical Science publishes insightful studies and has a great reputation for robust, but fair peer review. As it’s Diamond Open Access this really helps those of us who work in developing countries to showcase our work.

Dr William Unsworth: I do my best to review papers for as many journals as I am able, as good peer review is so important across the sciences. Also, as a long term RSC member and elected member of the RSC Organic Community Committee, I always am especially happy to be invited to review for the RSC’s flagship journal!

What do you enjoy most about reviewing?

Professor Grace Han: Many times I get inspired by the cool ideas and techniques that are illustrated in the manuscripts, and I also have learned a lot by observing how professionally authors respond to the reviewers’ requests by improving the quality of their work.

Dr William Unsworth: Taking the time to read a paper in detail – something I find I have frustrating little time to do outside of reviewing. Having an early preview of exciting new results before they are published is nice too, and it can be very satisfying to see first hand the improvements made to papers as a result of the peer review process.

Professor David Harding: This might sound odd, but I’d say being helpful. I often read papers where there’s a good story there, but it’s hidden. I see it as my job to help the authors tell it, even if I end up recommending against publication in Chemical Science.

What are you looking for in a paper that you can recommend for acceptance in Chemical Science?

Professor Grace Han: I consider two main factors. (i) Novelty of the research work. (ii) Quality of the research work.

Dr William Unsworth: A good idea, that has been well executed and is well described. I also really value balance in a paper – I am far more likely to accept a paper in which the strengths AND limitations of the research are explained in a clear and open manner.

Do you have any advice to our readers seeking publication in Chemical Science on what makes a good paper?

Professor Grace Han: I believe that a good paper tells a story that is not only technically rigorous but also inspirational to readers from various backgrounds.

What makes a paper truly stand out for you when reviewing a paper?

Professor Kara Bren: My favorite papers report results that make me say, wow, how did we not think of that before? I especially appreciate work that yields important fundamental advances by taking a creative new approach.

Professor David Harding: The best papers are those that provide new directions in chemistry telling the story of the work in a clear and accessible manner. All too often authors, and reviewers, get lost in the technical details of the study, such that the key findings are lost.

How do you balance reviewing with your other activities?

Dr William Unsworth: With difficulty – the polite reminders sent by patient editorial staff when deadlines are approaching/have been missed certainly help!

What single piece of advice would you give to someone about to write their first review?

Professor Grace Han: I would suggest keeping an open mind when reviewing science that departs from a traditional approach or method. I believe that it is an important role of reviewers to promote innovations.

Did reviewing for Chemical Science affect how you approached preparation of your recent publication with us?

Professor David Harding: Absolutely! I’ve found that reviewing for the journal causes me to more critically assess what I write and ask questions like “Is the data convincing? Are there other interpretations? Is this the clearest way that I can say that?”

Tune in next month to meet our next group of #ChemSciReviewers!

If you want to learn more about how we support our reviewers, check out our Reviewer Hub.

Interested in joining our ever-growing reviewer community? Apply here now!

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