How to become a good peer reviewer of Research Manuscripts?

Abstract:

In order to evaluate other researchers’ manuscripts, you need a certain amount of expertise in the subject area. Editors mostly become aware of potential reviewers through publications or lectures. 

In addition, major publishers also maintain reviewer databases that contain each person’s specialist subject areas and contact details. Some journals also allow authors to suggest reviewers when they submit their manuscript. 

This makes the editor’s work easier, and they are not obliged to accept the suggestion.

Keywords

Reviewer, Qualities, Qualification, Characteristics 

Learning Outcomes

After undergoing this article you will be able to understand how to become a good peer reviewer.

Peer review is crucial in academic publications since it validates the work of authors of research papers and provides readers with reliable, high-quality material. Despite significant reservations regarding its use, peer review remains the most widely used way of evaluating scientific articles. The reviewers are at the heart of this process, reading the articles critically before publication and recommending whether the results should be accepted, altered, or rejected.  

Here are few important questions one must know before starting reviewing 

How many peer reviews should I write?

There is no standard answer to this question because it largely depends on each individual’s interests, resources and available capacity. As a rule of thumb, you should aim to write as many peer reviews as you have received for your own work.

Define Peer reviews and good research practice?

Since peer review is an integral part of the scientific process, it is also subject to the rules of good research practice. This means candidates are expected to disclose any lack of expertise or possible conflicts of interest to the editorial board. 

It also means that any manipulation of the peer-review process or the submission of incorrect or discriminatory peer-review reports is regarded as scientific misconduct.

What's the steps of becoming a Reviewer?

Discoveries couldn’t happen without the integral work of peer reviewers. The assessment process makes sure that every article we publish adds something worthwhile to the scientific record. It promotes quality and upholds rigour.

However, it’s not just about science as a whole – there are significant ways becoming a peer reviewer can benefit you, too.

Step one:

Check your eligibility

Our reviewers are typically:

qualified to PhD level (or equivalent) or above in a relevant subject

a current active researcher

published recently in one or more peer-reviewed journals of comparable impact and reputation to our journals

Step two:

Read the reviewer procedure and policy of the publication 

Make sure you have looked at reviewing policy for general guidance on the process and requirements.

Step three:

Begin your application

Once you are ready, complete our online application to be considered. 

This involves some questions on yourself, your research areas and publications.

How to learn and develop reviewing expertise?

Learn from peers in your field

Reviewing incoming submissions gives you a chance to understand the current flow of research in your subject area.

It’s an opportunity for you to broaden your understanding.

It might even inspire new ways of thinking about your own stan article has been accepted for publication.

You can also explore the other reports on the same manuscript, helping you develop as a reviewer.

Get recognised for your contributions

Highlight Yourself with outstanding reviews annually, based on the number, timeliness and quality of reports completed over that year. 

 Receive a certificate in recognition of contribution.

Your contributions will be automatically linked to your Web of Science account

Continue to record and measure your peer review output.

Feel part of diverse community

Joining peer reviewer network also means being part of an inclusive global community of researchers. One that’s made up of people from all over the world with different backgrounds and experiences. 

 Peer reviewer network reflect the wider community to take actions that encourage inclusivity and diversity. 

Play a role in the bigger picture of quality peer review

You have the power to play a key role by working together to unravel some of the greatest issues facing humanity today.

Be a pioneer in peer review

With committed to research and decision-making that is open, robust and accessible, Peer review makes up a considerable part of that.

What's the qualification needed for a reviewer?

There are no specific qualifications needed to be a reviewer, but most reviewers will have a PhD. You certainly need to be able to prove you know the field of study well enough to be able to assess the novelty, quality, impact and importance of the research.

Qualities of a good peer reviewer

But what does it take to become a good reviewer?

Peer review should be comprehensive, succinct, and accurate, and comment on the importance, novelty, and impact of the study. 

It is helpful to give constructive feedback to their colleagues since respectful comments are the key to a good peer review

To do so, journals are concerned with several areas of reviewers' performances: their knowledge, judgment, constructiveness, ability to write clearly, and willingness to work within the journal's guidelines.

Writing an honest and helpful peer review report requires expertise, good analytical skills, and excellent communication qualities. However, many graduate programs do not provide any formal training or advice on how to become a good referee.

Once you have accepted a reviewing task, you have a great responsibility. The quality of the peer review process strongly depends on the quality of your report. Each manuscript is unique, so each referee report should be unique too.

The fairness and politeness Good referees always maintain a positive and constructive tone and never make personal remarks about the authors, even if the work is not good. 

Thoroughness and Clarity. Authors and editors expect reviewers to give helpful feedback and provide concrete examples and advice on how the work can be improved. Here are a few other things you should keep in mind when writing and submitting a review.

Peer review plays an important role in giving authors of research papers a validation and providing readers with reliable, high-quality content. Although there are some concerns about its practice, peer review continues to remain the most accepted method to evaluate scholarly publications. At the core of this process are the reviewers, who critically read the manuscripts prior to publication and then suggest recommendations as to whether the results should be accepted, revised, or rejected. 

Becoming an Active Referee

Writing an honest and helpful peer review report requires expertise, good analytical skills, and excellent communication qualities. However, many graduate programs do not provide any formal training or advice on how to become a good referee. 

Editors normally select referees based on a few criteria that include their experience in a particular research field, their previous reviewing activities, and the quality of their publications. 

If you are a young scientist, you can talk to your supervisor and let them know that you are interested in reviewing. They will be able to guide you through the process or recommend you to the editors of a suitable journal. In order to support this, senior scientists can also ask their students and postdocs to contribute to a review, after checking with the editors.

Young researchers can also contact the editors of a journal directly and let them know that they are willing to help. However, they should be able to support their application and give reasons why they would be a good reviewer, for example, their qualification, publication list, etc. Conferences are a great place to meet editors and approach them with any questions or interests. It is also a good idea to maintain an updated online record of what you do and what you have published so that editors can find you more easily. 

Characteristics of a Good Review

Once you have accepted a reviewing task, you have a great responsibility. The quality of the peer review process strongly depends on the quality of your report. Each manuscript is unique, so each referee report should be unique too. 

The first one is fairness and politeness. Good referees always maintain a positive and constructive tone and never make personal remarks about the authors, even if the work is not good. The second point is thoroughness and clarity. 

Authors and editors expect reviewers to give helpful feedback and provide concrete examples and advice on how the work can be improved. Here are a few other things you should keep in mind when writing and submitting a review:

Short Guide for Peer Reviewers

Before accepting to review, make sure that you are comfortable with the subject of the manuscript, have enough time to complete the review within the deadline, and have no conflict of interests that might influence your work.

When writing your report, always be friendly and constructive while remaining critical and attentive. 

Make sure that the results are technically sound and the claims sufficiently supported by the presented data. 

You should also assess the strengths and importance of the work and give clear recommendations on how it can be improved.

Whether the title and the abstract describe the work properly.

Whether the methods section provides enough details for a reader to repeat the experiments.

Whether the results and discussion are presented in a detailed, logical, and understandable way. 

They should also check and report any possible ethical issues.

A good way to organize your review is by starting with a summary of the paper, where you shortly describe what the authors did. 

Then you can include some general comments about the work, for example, some thoughts about the novelty of the findings, or the way the data is presented, and 

Finally, you can provide a specific list describing the points that can be improved and 

How it can be done so. It is important to number your remarks, so that the authors can respond to them easily.

The final step is to upload your report into the journal’s referee interface and indicate whether the manuscript should be accepted without changes, accepted after revision (minor or major corrections), or rejected.

Conclusions

Peer review is an essential process to ensure that scientific articles meet high standards of methodology, ethics and quality. The peer-review process is a part of the academic mission for physicians in the university setting. The work of reviewers is of great value for authors, as it gives constructive criticism and improves manuscript quality before publication. Often, however, reviews are of suboptimal quality. Usually, reviewers do not receive formal training either on how to perform a review or on the peer-review process. In addition, it is generally believed that experienced authors are great reviewers, but this may not always be true. The overarching goal of a review is to make the manuscript better; to help the authors. The purpose of this article is to offer relevant suggestions and provide a checklist on how to perform a useful review.

The superb positive qualities in a reviewer are the following: 

kind, gentle, strong, resilient, caring, assertive, hard-working, reliable, honest, practical, responsible, loyal, mature, creative, consistent, appreciative, capable, quick, sensitive, perceptive, patient, thoughtful, fit, trustworthy, shows initiative, motivated, versatile, ... And the list goes on...