Origin Editorial

Reviewer Training as a Form of Engagement

By:
Jason Roberts
Senior Partner, Origin Editorial
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrobertsorigin
ORCID: 0000-0001-9054-4180  

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is the first in series of posts on reviewer training. Subsequent posts will examine journal-led efforts already undertaken to train reviewers and offer an implementation plan for providing reviewer training regardless of the size or subject matter of a given journal.

 

Takehome Points: 

  • *  Peer review is an essential part of scholarly communications but is entirely volunteer driven.
    *  Journals are struggling to find motivated peer reviewers.
    *  Reviewer training is sporadic and delivered inconsistently or not at all.
    *  Could the offer of reviewer training simultaneously help motivate commitments to review for
       given journals as well as improve quality?
    * Training represents a way for journals to engage with the community they serve.

Journals are struggling to secure peer reviewers. The process is slow, cumbersome, and inconsistent in terms of delivering on the promise of guaranteeing validation and ensuring published research is of a sufficient quality to enhance our understanding on a given topic and allow for reproducibility. But the typical journal management of reviewers is entirely transactional: reviewer is asked to evaluate a manuscript, reviewer provides comments, everyone moves on. With obvious motivations to review diminishing in the eyes of some reviewers, should journals do more to give back and reward the hard work of their reviewers? One approach might be for journals to offer training, especially for early-career researchers. After all, learning how to evaluate a manuscript develops eminently transferable skills that can, in turn, improve authoring and study design proficiencies.

The Role of Peer Reviewers

Scholarly communication hinges on the (usually) volunteer work of peer reviewers to validate, critique, and polish manuscripts. Probably for as long as reviewers have been asked to perform this role, criticism has been leveled regarding the arbitrariness, bias, speed, and value of the entire process. Nevertheless, no alternative has successfully displaced peer review as the preeminent model for evaluating research papers. Artificial intelligence seems to represent the future, especially if it could be applied to specialist reviewer tasks such as statistical reporting and results testing. But for now, to ensure manuscripts receive some form of vetting ahead of publication, journals still depend upon that most precious of commodities: the skilled peer reviewer. And now journals do this against a backdrop of declining conversion rates of invitations to review into agreements to review. What can be done? Many suggestions to improve reviewer acceptance rates have been proposed, but perhaps journals need to start by looking at how they value the work of reviewers and what they could offer in return for the reviewers that work so hard for them.

The Value Proposition of Peer Reviewers

Peer reviewers come in many forms. Some may be editorial board members, “preferred” reviewers, or part of an “inner pool” of subject experts that may have tacitly, or contractually, agreed to evaluate a given number of papers in a calendar year. The vast majority, however, are likely ad hoc reviewers called upon because at a given moment their research interests match the specifics of a manuscript under evaluation. Other reviewers may possess a more defined role such as statistical/methods reviewers or patient reviewers. These reviewers may be tasked with a specific function. Equally, they may be given the digital equivalent of a blank sheet of paper (no instructions, in other words).

Regardless of who they are and what they bring, peer reviewers are all asked to determine whether a paper is publishable based upon their areas of expertise. Reviewers are also asked to help improve a paper by suggesting amendments or additional ideas to explore. They request clarifications, and correct errors and omissions.  Reviewer responsibilities, therefore, are eminently high value and without such consistent effort, the credibility of the entire scholarly communication enterprise wobbles.

Conversely, arguments abound claiming peer review does not offer value, or at least the quality of peer review is so highly variable that the process cannot be unquestionably accepted. Naturally, such claims strike at the core propositions of peer-validated publication: quality, verification and replication. An array of studies does seem to confirm that despite the lofty value-driven goals for peer review, the reality is markedly different.

Core Competencies for Peer Reviewers

The gap between the theoretical value of peer reviewers and the perceived reality as claimed in the aforementioned studies could potentially be explained as a by-product of their work being volunteer generated, though no proof has been presented that paid reviewers perform better. More likely, two persistent issues undermine the process. The first is that reviewers are not always clear why they have been selected to evaluate a paper, nor are they given useful guidance on what a journal expects from them. The second, and of relevance here, is that in many respects peer review is an amateur endeavor. There are very few professional peer reviewers and those that are, are usually specialists like statisticians. There is a general assumption that if you know how to do research, you can do peer review. While that assumption is not completely unreasonable, it is not uncontestable truth either.  The ability to critique is a very different skill than the ability to develop study hypotheses, and each invitation received may require something different without making that clear.

Training to evaluate manuscripts is not consistently delivered to trainee researchers despite the value that learning how to deconstruct the work of others can enhance self-analytical skills when it comes to one’s own research. More typically, if any training is given at all to the typical researcher, it is mentor driven and not systematic.

But to develop any form of training requires an understanding of what represents core competencies reviewers should display.  Remarkably, understanding these skillsets is hopelessly understudied, at least in a systematic way. However, research is slowly emerging that shows that though no sets of standards exist, there does seem to be broad agreement across journals on what they determine to be useful skill sets. These can be broadly broken down into multiple domains (of which the list below is far from exhaustive):

  1. Subject knowledge prerequisites and a capacity to contextualize research within existing knowledge frameworks or the current publication record
  2. Methodological or study design proficiency
  3. Ability to guide authors on manuscript readability and best practices in the presentation of an argument or results
  4. Competency in detecting spin and bias
  5. Basic understanding of ethics
  6. Understanding of personal accountability, as a reviewer to authors and editors

Training as Engagement

We have seen that peer review is a vital part of the peer review process, though perceptions and some study results may dispute that. We have explored briefly what makes a good reviewer. While journals may offer incentives or rewards for reviewers, most do little beyond the annual listing of individuals completing a review. Reviewers frequently report feeling undervalued, so perhaps in lieu of cash payments, journals could consider offering something of value: namely a free educational opportunity. Indeed a survey conducted by Wiley in 2015 across 170,000 researchers found that 77% of respondents wanted to receive peer review training. Furthermore, rather than just burying any training resources in a barely visited website, journals could actively use training opportunities as a form of engagement.

Indeed, journals should value at a premium any opportunity to foster closer connections with reviewers, who are also likely authors and readers. An initial step might involve identifying particular groups that potentially benefit from training. This pool could be offered training with the promise that it possibly enhances their own prospects of future publication through offering transferable skills. Those that participate can then be tracked and targeted with future communications that promote the journal. Perhaps participants could be highlighted, recognized, or promoted in the journal. Following training, they can also be considered as potential reviewers, which for early career participants is a useful way to raise their profile. With a nascent relationship then developing between trainees and the journal, along with a clearer sense of what being a reviewer means, it does seem plausible that reviewers might be more willing to consider responding positively to a request to peer review, especially if they felt the training (and associated investment of effort) from the journal was beneficial and worthwhile. However, to make this engagement meaningful, trainees would need to understand the true value of the training. Journals, therefore, will likely need to work on such messaging.

Why bother?

Regardless of the subject matter, the process of journals soliciting volunteer peer review comments is breaking down. Traditional rewards are not working and the connections and loyalty that reviewers may once have felt towards certain journals has eroded. For the many new journals that have emerged over the last decade, particularly open access publications, those strong relationships may never have existed, making obtaining reviewers and securing quality peer review comments a persistent challenge.

It might be time for journals to honestly reframe the conversation as a crisis. Most researchers already view peer review as burdensome, albeit one that is necessary. They might not know how hard it has become, however, for journals to find good reviewers. Journals would be well served, therefore, to not only reveal the extent of the problem but also offer ready-made solutions that are meaningful beyond reviewer “thank you” acknowledgements. Developing training programs may sound like a huge effort, and it could be if you go all in with didactic lecture series, mentor-driven seminars, and resource manuals, but it does represent an interesting solution. Equally, your efforts may be as simple as a virtual question-and-answer session with an editor via a webinar or at the annual society meeting. Whatever you attempt, don’t just build something and expect individuals to come. Most won’t. Consider incentives and invest time in your messaging. Explain the benefits. Convey how, for journals and reviewers alike, investing effort in reviewer training benefits everyone in the long term. Use training efforts as an approach to enhance the journal brand: one that invests in its community, one that demands quality but provides pathways to success for all and one that is inclusive.

In an open access future, where authors and readers are less tied to the source, where journals are the sole arbiter of quality research, journals will need to retain attention and loyalty by promoting unique brands and forming meaningful relationships. Training represents a novel opportunity with an evident investment in quality. It also offers the potential of expanding the diversity of the peer review pool.

In the next blog post on this topic, we will review some efforts that have been undertaken by journals, societies, or publishers to train reviewers.

Conflicts of Interest:
None to declare

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Comments

  • Kerry Barner

    May 19, 2023

    Thanks for this article. We have been focusing on this as part of our DEI mission to diversify our reviewer base, so your article is very timely. I look forward to the next blog post.

    reply
    • Jason Roberts

      May 24, 2023

      Thank you, Kerry, for your comment. I am so glad you touch on the DEI component to this conversation particularly as we might find that various individuals and communities are simply not able to access the training, mentorship and support for which others have privileged and easy access. There is also a significant geographical component to all this as many journals are simply over-taxing reviewers from certain countries and massively under-valuing the potential of reviewers from whole regions of the globe. Offering reviewer training is a nice way to calibrate reviewer skills and competencies at a global level for a given research community.

      reply

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Consultant

aflynn@origineditorial.com

As part of the marketing team, Abbie maintains Origin Editorial's and Origin Reports' social media accounts. For Origin Reports, she coordinates webinars, handles client communications, and manages the company's blog. Abbie also creates product demonstration videos and updates the Origin Reports website.

Sherrie Hill

Consultant

shill@origineditorial.com

Sherrie has been with Origin Editorial since 2017. She has worked in the editorial office for several journals and is currently working as the Assistant Peer Review Manager for the American Journal of Audiology. Additionally, Sherrie is the Project Manager for the editorial office reporting software application, Origin Reports. She uses her background in engineering to help design the customized editorial office charts, tables, and reports available in the application. Sherrie also provides personalized customer support for all Origin Reports users with reporting issues or questions.

Diane Dunham Drexler

Client Coordinator/Consultant

ddrexler@origineditorial.com

Diane began as a chemistry and physics instructor, providing a seamless transition to academic publishing. She served as the Publications Manager for the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and managed its premier journal Neuropsychopharmacology. Later, she steered the college’s new initiative, Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews, from its launch through the sixth volume, including liaising with the publisher’s medical illustrator to create NPPR’s signature graphics. Diane has worked closely with abstract management submission designers and production teams to create online meeting abstracts and eBooks. She is exceptionally skilled in eJP, EM, and believes in a collaborative effort. Joining Origin Editorial in 2012 as the Publications Director for the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, she managed the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation until her more recent role of Peer Review Manager for Applied Physics Letters at the American Institute of Physics. Additionally, she manages the Journal of Clinical Lipidology, a publication of the National Lipid Society. Diane serves on several committees at ISMTE and is a member of CSE. She has Diane received her undergraduate degree from The University of Mary Washington in Virginia and her MEd in Secondary Science from Converse University in South Carolina.

Steve Cavanaugh

Client Coordinator/Consultant

scavanaugh@origineditorial.com

Steve got his start in publishing with Mosby Year-Book in Philadelphia in 1995, after working as a teacher, chef and various sundry jobs up and down the East Coast of the US. After returning to the Boston, Mass area, he worked in IT until returning to publishing with the journal Pharmacotherapy in 1999. He joined the Origin Editorial team in 2013 and has worked on a variety of journals in medicine, environmental science and physics.

Denise Kuo

Client Coordinator/Consultant

dkuo@origineditorial.com

Denise is a highly accomplished journal operations professional with 20 years of experience in scientific publishing. She has expertise in team leadership, customer relationships, and leading successful complex projects to implement efficiencies for improved productivity and reduction in costs. Denise is respected as a strong people leader excelling at developing and mentoring teams in providing high-quality, meaningful insight to senior management and other stakeholders for positive results. Before coming to Origin, she served as Director of Journal Operations, Circulation Journals and JAHA at the American Heart Association where she was responsible for ensuring standardization and implementing workflow efficiencies across the 13-journal portfolio. She is a member of ISMTE and CSE. She has served as a CSE Mentor and as a member of the SSP Marketing and Communications Committee.

Glenn Collins

Client Coordinator/Consultant

gcollins@origineditorial.com

Glenn graduated from Cornell University in 1991 with a BS in Biology. After working in a microbiology lab for a few years at Pall Corporation he started his STM publishing career at John Wiley and Sons in 1995. He left Wiley and moved to San Diego in 2000 where he first worked for the journal Brain Research before becoming the managing editor of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). After twelve plus years as the Executive Managing Editor of the JACC journals Glenn moved to Origin Editorial where he assumed the role of Publications Director/Managing Editor for the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM). In this role he oversees the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and its open access companion the Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation. In 2021 Glenn assumed the position of Director of Sales, Publications and Social Media for ACRM. Glenn has helped develop and launch five (and counting) new journals in the STM field. Glenn is a past president of ISMTE.

Dave Allen

Client Coordinator/Consultant

dallen@origineditorial.co

Dave has over 21 years of publishing experience. He started his publishing career with the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, which self-published a journal and textbook, eventually becoming the Director of Publications. He then moved to take editorial leadership of CIG Media Group, LLC, which operated eight clinical oncology journals. From there he became a Publisher for Elsevier, specializing in oncology and radiology, with a portfolio of 12 journals, overseeing their operations for seven years. Dave moved to Origin Editorial in 2018 where he continues to manage journals as well as provide consultations for scientific societies. His Origin clients have included the American Association of Thoracic Surgery, the American Heart Association, and Cochrane. Dave has recently started as the Editorial Director for a large client. Dave has extensive experience in project, people, and budget management in the private and non-profit sectors. His experience includes developing and implementing new initiatives; creating and managing complex workflows and processes; forecasting and developing budgets; supervising employees; and collaborating with commercial sponsors, governing boards, and society leaders. Dave is the vice chair of the ISMTE Sponsorship Committee.

Erin Landis

Managing Director

elandis@origineditorial.com

Erin has more than two decades of leadership, strategic planning, project management, and relationship-building experience. As the Managing Director of Origin Editorial, she guides strategy, business development, and operations. Before Origin, she was the Vice President of Publications for the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), where she oversaw the editorial and financial operations, as well as the strategic direction of several GI-related publications, including five peer-reviewed journals. Erin recently served as the president of ISMTE and serves as the chair of the Global Event Oversight Committee and as a member on the Education & Standards Committee. She’s also a member of SSP and CSE where she has served as a mentor. Also, she is a current member of the CSE DEI Committee. She also served as co-chair of the Publishing Professional Peer Group for the Council of Medical Specialty Societies and was a member of the writing group for the C4DISC Toolkits for Equity Project’s “Antiracism Toolkit for Organizations.” Erin received her degree in psychology from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA.

Kristen Overstreet

Senior Partner

kristen@origineditorial.com

Kristen oversees operations for Origin Editorial and Origin Reports, including managing the process of finding experienced team members to provide services to Origin’s clients. Kristen is a Past President of the ISMTE Board of Directors and currently serves the ISMTE on the Early Career and North America Meeting committees. She is also a member of the CSE, recently serving on their IAB Task Force, and FORCE11, serving on the Research Data Publishing Ethics Working Group. For more than 20 years, Kristen has been known for elevating journal operations and improving journal and peer review management through use of effective policies and procedures. She provides consultation to Origin clients regarding effective peer review management and speaks regularly on peer review operations and ethics at industry meetings.

Jason Roberts, PhD

Senior Partner

Jason@origineditorial.com

Dr. Roberts is a globally recognized peer review management specialist, publisher and intermittent academic investigator on all matters related to the conduct of peer review. He is focused on improving the quality, rigorousness and successful delivery of scholarly communications, regardless of discipline. After earning a doctorate in Geography from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, Dr. Roberts began a career in publishing at Blackwell Science in Oxford, England and then Boston, Massachusetts, eventually becoming a Senior Editor of US-based medical journals. In 2010, Dr. Roberts formed Origin Editorial, one of the first, and now largest, independently owned companies to offer professional peer review management for journals. Dr. Roberts is a past-president of ISMTE. Dr. Roberts has a particular interest in improving standards of reporting in biomedical journals and the monitoring of publication ethics issues. He has contributed book chapters and research articles on these topics and collaborated closely with the EQUATOR Network, the Ottawa Centre for Journalology and the Committee on Publication Ethics. Dr. Roberts is a co-author of Peer Review: Reform and Renewal in Scientific Publishing” (2017, Against the Grain Publishing). He currently sits on the editorial board of the journal Research Integrity and Peer Review and is a frequent reviewer for papers on the subject of peer review for Learned Publishing and The BMJ