Are referees sufficiently informed about the Editor's practice?

This paper clarifies why editors of academic journals should share with the ir referees the information about the number of referees they consult and t he decision rule they apply. Our analysis also rationalizes the common ques tionable phenomenon of editors who seem to distort the yes or no recommenda tions of their referees. The editors request a recommendation of whether to accept or reject the paper as well as an assessment of the paper. The edit ors need the complete reports to make the appropriate correction of the ref erees' final recommendations.