When submitting your review documents to an online peer review systems, you can help maintain the appropriate confidentiality of reviewers by changing a few settings in Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word
You should not use your name in the filename of the review to maintain anonymity.
How to Anonymize Adobe PDFs
To check for and remove personal information from Adobe PDF files from Acrobat versions DC and above:
- Open the PDF document.
- Choose "Tools" and then select "Redact."
- Choose “Remove Hidden Information” and wait for the tool to finish running.
- If any items appear in the Results, click “Remove.”
- Save the file, note that identity information is not removed until the file is saved.
To check for and remove personal information from Adobe PDF files from Acrobat versions 8, 9, and X:
- Open the PDF document.
- From the "Document" pull-down menu, select "Examine 3. Document" and wait for the tool to finish running.
- If any items appear check-marked, click “Remove.”
- Save the file, note that identity information is not removed until the file is saved.
A fast, easy, and recommended manual check is:
- File.
- Properties.
- Click the Description tab and pay particular attention to the block labeled “Author.” This is a frequent location of a name or initials.