Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Skin whitening among Cameroonian female university students: knowledge, attitudes, 
practices and motivations  
 
Version: 1 Date: 02 Apr 2016  
 
Reviewer: Hsiu -Mei Chiang  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
This study aimed to assess the kn owledge, attitudes, practices and motivations of female 
university students on skin whitening. Total 620 female students involved in this study, and 87 
participants (14%) found that skin whitening was a good practice. The authors concluded that the 
practic e of skin whitening is common among Cameroonian female university students who 
should be educated on the advantages of the black skin and the harmful effects of skin whitening.  
 
There are some points must be clarified in the manuscript.  
1. The expert rel iability and validity of the questionnaire must be applied in the text. It must 
clarified the questionnaire can achieve their objective of the study.  
 
2. The questionnaire asked participants about the names of products they used. Is it 
appropriated?   
 
3. There are many question in the questionnaire, but few information present in the manuscript. 
Authors have to rewrite and revised their work before resubmitting.  
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Unable to assess  
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscri pt or would you recommend an  
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further  
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
Quality of written En glish  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have yo u in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an  
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this  
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose  
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content o f the  
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds  or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any  non-financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below.  If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
No 
 
I agree to the open peer review p olicy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included  
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report  
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors'  
respon ses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative Commons  
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments  
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confi dential comments  
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal