The peer review process, which is considered one of the central processes in the publishing industry, involves an in-depth evaluation of academic, scientific, or professional research work. This process is carried out by experts in the same and related scientific fields. To celebrate this process and reveal facts and insights about peer review, the publishing industry collectively looks forward to this great event, Peer Review Week!
Peer Review Week 2021 released its theme as “Identity in Peer Review,” which was the first to be selected through an open global poll. In this DoNotEdit article, we discuss the multifaceted roles of identities in the peer review process, which brings diversity, expectations, perspectives, experiences, knowledge, and skills, along with unique activities.
By emphasizing “Identity in Peer Review”, we want to highlight the role of individual and social identity in peer review and the ways in which the scientific community can strengthen diverse, fair, reliable, and ethical review.
“Identity in Peer Review” – An Enduring Concern of the Scientific Community
The peer review process has changed dramatically since its inception in the 18th century, focusing its efforts to make it more accurate and reliable. While the creation of editorial boards and review panels of most major journals reflected the dominant academic culture of the time, today’s review system of diverse and experienced academics from different cultures has created a paradigm shift.
Academics have tried to strengthen the refereeing process by improving and introducing several systems, including open review, transparent refereeing, collaborative refereeing, hidden or one-blind refereeing, double-blind peer refereeing, etc. Professional and cultural identity in the peer-review process creates the possibility of violating the ethical practices of it. In addition, the value of diversity, multiple perspectives, and contributions from multiple sources adds to the growth of the university and research.
Moving Towards a Reliable Peer-Review Process
The emergence of open-access (OA) publishing and the COVID-19 pandemic have acted as catalysts in the growth of published research. This problem has provided a wide field for publishing new research in universities. Well-known and prominent open-access journals have a rigorous review process. The quality, validity, and relevance of each article are fully evaluated by a peer reviewer with the same scientific background.
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While the trend remains the same, evidence suggests that the traditional model of peer review needs to change. Increasing journal retractions and cases of unethical and bogus peer reviews call for a re-examination of the traditional approach.
Steps to Follow to Reach a Reliable Review System
Here are some steps to follow to pave your way to a reliable review system:
Develop and follow ethical methods of identifying, approving, and inviting peer reviewers, focusing on the proximity of the reviewer’s expertise to the research topic being reviewed.
-Include diversity in the review pool (including early-career researchers, researchers from different regions, cultures, etc.).
-Publishers should raise awareness and explore new ways to find refereed sources from diverse backgrounds.
-Introduce different, new, and reliable peer-review models to increase transparency and strengthen authors’ trust in the system.
Train reviewers and familiarize them with ethical guidelines to bridge the gap between reviewer generations and their approach to reviewing.
– Encourage the use of automated and AI-based software for peer review for a more reliable and comprehensive approach.
-Evaluate referees based on feedback received from recognized guidelines.
-Develop cross-publisher solutions to improve efficiency and benefit all stakeholders.
-Provide practical advice on how authors can successfully review and address referee comments and revise their papers.
-Prepare a comprehensive and well-defined structured review report to clearly communicate comments and suggestions to authors.
Peer Review: A Building Block of Trusted Publications
With the emergence of awareness, importance, and reliance on peer review, the role of identity and diversity has significantly transformed scholarly research and publishing. Because a properly refereed manuscript is reliable, peer reviewers have been diligent in following ethical practices. Not allowing extraneous factors to influence the review process, maintaining scientific rigor, and rationally describing analyzes have helped to strengthen the trust of authors and readers in the peer review system. Since the transparent revision process can be used with identity, it can be coherently promoted and celebrated in an opaque process.
Do you think a greater emphasis on identity and diversity in the peer review process adds value? Do identities potentially foster solidarity, constructive criticism, progressive collaboration, and so on? Furthermore, what are the other benefits associated with disclosing the identity of a peer reviewer? Does the current system benefit from the added layers of identity and diversity? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below! You can also use the services of editing articles, writing articles, publishing articles in reputable journals, translating and getting answers to frequently asked questions related to various aspects of writing and publishing research from subject experts, prominent researchers, and publishing experts with the company number in the contact section. Call us or send us email to marketing[at]donotedit.com email address.