How to Become a Peer Reviewer
To become a peer reviewer, a journal editor must invite you to review a manuscript being considered for publication. So then, how can you make that happen?
You may receive an invite to review at any stage of your research career, but the editor needs to be able to find you. You can take steps to increase the odds of being invited to peer review and to increase the odds of being invited back. Even though peer review is typically unpaid, it is critical for establishing yourself and ensuring sound and verifiable research. Use these steps to get going and keep getting invited.
Build and keep updating your professional profile
A professional profile is a summary of your qualifications and achievements. In addition to keeping your academic CV up to date with your latest achievements, there are several services where you can set up a profile online. Journal editors need qualified reviewers, and they use these digital tools in their search. Set yourself up to be there for them.
ORCiD is a free platform that links researchers’ records to their published papers. Register and you’ll receive an ORCID iD, a unique identifier you can include with submissions. Your ORCID record lists your publications and areas of interest, and makes it easier for editors to match you with review opportunities.
Web of Science (WoS) at Clarivate lets you set up a free profile where you can flag that you want to be a peer reviewer. Any editor with an institutional login can then find you via search.
Social networks
Academia and ResearchGate, which have freemium memberships, are social networks for researchers. Each service lets you record your accomplishments and network with peers in your own research area and beyond. You can add your research interests, collaborations, and published work details.
General social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook can also be useful, though they don’t allow you to link your research in the same easy-to-find way. LinkedIn, with its business- and career-oriented focus, has become a near-must for researchers. It lets you promote yourself and interact with others, and it may also help you land other research or work opportunities.
Keywords matter
In your profiles, include accurate keywords that match your research interests. Adding these, along with more details, makes it easier for search engines and, thereby, journal editors, to find you.
For example, if you specialize in the chemistry of lithium battery anodes, make sure “battery chemistry” is in your keywords, but also include narrower terms (so-called long-tail keywords) such as “lithium-ion battery anodes.”
As your research develops, keeping your online presence current is critical. Make a list of your profiles and check them every few months. Also, university web pages are often poorly maintained. If you have a profile on your department site, make sure your details are correct. If possible, add links to your other online profiles.
Develop your expertise
You must be an expert in your own field to be an effective peer reviewer – obviously, to give effective feedback on your field, but also to represent your field if you’re reviewing something that isn’t a precise match. This means keeping up to date with the latest research by reading the top journals in your field.
Naturally, research and publication are the main ways to advance your expertise. Keep developing yourself and keep your records up to date as you do so.
Attend conferences if you can. Conference presentations can give you access to the latest findings before publication. You’ll also hear discussions of plans for upcoming research. Most importantly, you’ll come face-to-face with peers and editors who may be able to advance your career (and vice versa), and may consider you for a review in the future. It’s a bit old-fashioned, but keep business cards on hand. And add your new connections on the above social networks.
Gain initial review experience
Like any other skill, reviewing well takes practice. Try the following strategies to gain review experience:
- Offer to help your colleagues improve their draft articles. Read the material carefully and write up your feedback as a short review. If you offer sincere advice, your suggestions for improvement should always be welcomed.
- Attend live presentations at conferences and departmental seminars. Seeing a paper presentation live lets you engage actively with other researchers and develop critical analysis skills. Giving feedback in person in this way will help you refine your tone so that you can provide feedback without being overbearing or intolerant. Tact and tone are key virtues in peer review.
- Help your department rate and rank research proposals for competitive internal grants. Explaining why one submission is better than another is a great way to practice peer review.
- Volunteer to help organizers of a conference in your field select abstracts.
- Find a senior colleague to let you shadow them in their reviewing activities. Write your own reviews and compare notes with your colleague when you’re done.
Get formal training
Formal training courses can teach you to fast-track your peer review skills. You can learn the basics and drill down into specific aspects of peer review. “In real life,” your department or funding body may provide workshops where more experienced reviewers will show you the ropes.
Online, look no further than the Peer Review Power Up Course here on Reviewer Credits. It’s free when you sign up (also free) for an account here.
Many other free courses are also available, including the infinitely great resources on YouTube and other video sites.
You can also look at the training provided by Elsevier, Wiley, and SpringerNature. In some cases, these courses provide you with a certificate.
Your discipline also will have its own specific conventions, so take a look at guidance provided by journals in your field. Some journals, such as BMC, and learned societies, such as the American Society of Agronomy, also provide mentoring programs in peer review.
Network and increase your visibility
Your expertise is the leading factor in being selected for peer review. But, beyond your track record in your field, the editor wants to feel comfortable asking you for a favor and trust you to keep to the deadline. This trust comes much more easily if the editor has met you and has a relationship with you.
Meeting in person is ideal, but meeting online, especially in this post-COVID, increasingly digital, world can be nearly as good.
This means that networking is important. Engage with the academic social networks mentioned above, and with research forums and scholarly societies. Present your work at conferences and while you’re there try to speak to as many people as possible.
Volunteer and reach out to journals
Most journal editors struggle to find appropriate peer reviewers, something Reviewer Credits is helping to resolve for journals and editors. Help them by offering your services proactively and you’re more likely to be called upon when they’re searching.
Approach journals whose themes most closely match your research. Think about the articles you cite in your own work. In which publications are they most likely to appear?
You can usually find out who to contact by looking at the journal’s “About” page or “Editorial Board” page. For example, the Journal of Epidemiology shows the Editor-in-Chief’s email, while you’ll find an email for the editorial assistant on the About page of the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. If their contacts are publicly available, this suggests they can both be contacted directly.
Send journal editors a polite, concise email. Get straight to the point. Explain your current research and any other specialist expertise that might be useful for the journal.
Some journals, such as The BMJ also let you create an account on their reviewer platform. You’ll be able to add your details including your research interests.
You can also try asking more senior colleagues to recommend you. If you decline an invitation to review an article, the journal editor might ask you to suggest an alternative, so this could be a good strategy.
Welcome your first invitations, but consider them thoroughly
Even if you’re eager to start peer reviewing, you shouldn’t accept every invitation. You should evaluate it like you’d evaluate a job offer, because a hasty decision won’t help you, the paper’s authors, or the journal editor.
You might decide to say “no” to a peer review invite for many reasons.
- The subject may not exactly match your expertise.
- You may not have time to complete the review by the deadline (allot at least 5 hours and more if you’re inexperienced).
- You might know one of the authors and have a conflict of interest.
- Personal circumstances, such an upcoming vacation or a family issue, may prevent you from completing the job.
- And, later on, reviewer fatigue may set it, in which case it’s good to take a break and recharge your batteries.
So, before you accept, consider all the above and read the journal’s reviewing guidelines carefully and make sure you can fulfill all aspects of the task.
If you have any doubts, contact the editor right away in a professional manner. Treat the offer with respect and be considerate to the editor – don’t delay.
Develop and refine your reviewing skills
Reviewing well (not dismissively) can be time-consuming and require a great deal of concentration and energy. When reviewing a manuscript, balance praise with constructive criticism. Write in a way that will help the author improve their work and help the editor decide whether the manuscript warrants publication.
To keep improving, be reflective about your own reviewing practice. Each time you complete a review, read it carefully from the authors’ and editors’ perspectives.
- Have you identified areas for improvement in a precise way?
- Have you done so without unduly discouraging the author?
- Have you provided the editor with clear reasons to accept or reject, or with clear ideas for revisions?
As you submit your own papers to journals for publication, pay attention to the reviews your work receives. Which reviews do you find most helpful as an author, and why? Identify best practices and emulate them.