I peer-reviewed a manuscript and am about to send my conclusions to the editor. It occurs to me, though, that because there are many details to be checked/changed in various places of the paper (mathematical notations, in particular), it will take quite some time for me to type it into a proper review (probably using TeX, because it is math-heavy).
So, I am wondering: since my hand-writing is decent and people don't usually find it too hard to decipher, could I simply scan my annotated copy of the paper, along with one page of notes, to the editor? Or will that be unacceptable to them?
I think it raises a few questions, going from practicalities:
- will it be as useful as a thoroughly written-down review?
- does it give more work to the editor?
- should I also include a summary of my comments, in computerized form?
to ethical questions:
- does handwritten notes breach rules of anonymity?
I suppose people used to do that in older times, but it have never received a hand-written review so far, so it is (at least in my field) unusual.
So: should I do it? if I do it, what precautions should I take?