Demystifying the Peer-Review Process: A Guide for Reviewers

Duration: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm | Cost: $25
Lead Convener:  Janet Nestlerode

The peer-review is an integral part of our scientific research process. Journals rely on objective reviews by knowledgeable researchers to ensure the quality of the papers that are published. Through presentations by experienced peer reviewers and journal editors including Estuaries and Coasts,  Biogeochemistry, and Limnology and Oceanography, this workshop will provide an overview of the elements of an effective peer review to help participants improve their own peer-reviewing experience and skills.

Topics to be covered will include: the peer review process and the critical role the reviewer plays, ethical responsibilities of reviewers, and expectations of reviewers from editorial boards. Conflict of interest, associate editor-reviewer interactions, scope of reviewer commentary provided to guide the revision of the paper, and the shared responsibility for contributing to peer review will also be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on how to improve the peer review process, what makes a review useful for an editor, and what common practices complicate the editorial process. Participants will gain insight into the entire peer review process, which may facilitate producing constructive, informative and balanced reviews in the future. Students and early career scientists will benefit from this overview of the peer review process, and may in turn also garner helpful tips on improving their own manuscript submissions. All career levels will benefit from a discussion of speed, quality, composition, and appropriateness of invited reviews.

This workshop will be a proactive step toward mitigating bad reviewing habits and can help to improve the integrity and transparency of the peer review process for all involved.  Presentations by journal editors Wayne Gardner,  Robert Howarth, Kate Lajtha, and Si Simenstad will be followed by a question-and-answer period and panel discussions.