From the April editorial in Nature Chemical Biology:
“Although we strive for transparency in scientific publishing, there is an inherent need for opacity in the peer review process so that editors can receive candid information about the technical merit and potential impact of each manuscript. Given the limitation of referee confidentiality, the editorial team at Nature Chemical Biology is committed to making peer review as transparent as possible. Referee selection is a critical element in this process. We request that potential referees notify us of possible conflicts of interest that may affect their ability to provide an objective assessment of a manuscript. When potential conflicts arise, referees may recuse themselves. Conflicts may include competing financial interests related to the science reported in the article or personal or professional relationships with authors that may affect the referee’s impartiality. To minimize conflicts in which scientists may be in competition or hold opposing views on a scientific controversy, the editorial team generally honors author requests to exclude particular scientists from the referee pool. Finally, to enhance transparency, Nature Chemical Biology editors communicate with referees after a decision has been sent to authors. In addition to informing referees of our editorial decision, we send copies of all referee comments, while maintaining the confidentiality of all referees, to each reviewer who was consulted on the manuscript.”
The complete editorial is at: Nature Chemical Biology 3, 185 (2007).