Understanding open peer review
Everything you need to know about open peer review
The shift to open peer review
Open peer review adoption has been growing since the turn of the century, but recently it’s become widely embraced. Many publishers already implement some form of open peer review.
This shift towards open peer review shows no sign of slowing down, with even more publishers looking to incorporate open peer review into their publishing models. In 2018, editors and publishers from over 100 publications signed an open letter to acknowledge that they have started, or plan to start, publishing peer review reports openly.
On this page, we’ll walk you through the essentials of open peer review, including how it can help you make a global impact with your research.
Keep reading for information and resources designed to answer your key questions, including:
- What are the different types of open peer review?
- What are the benefits of open peer review?
- What can be open peer reviewed?
- How do I become a open peer reviewer?
- Can I co-review?
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Understanding peer review and how it works
Fill in the form below to discover the types of peer review, including the open, post-publication peer review model we use at F1000.
What are the different types of peer review?
Community peer review
The manuscript is fact-checked and published online, where others in the research community can add comments through a forum. Community peer review fosters scientific discussion and collaboration and allows for faster sharing of research findings.
Post-publication peer review
Following the publication of a manuscript, expert reviewers assess the research in an open forum following publication. The names of the reviewers are usually published along with their comments.
Decoupled peer review
The peer review process is managed by an independent service, not the venue of publication. Authors then submit their peer-reviewed work to a publication. Decoupled peer review enables authors to enhance a manuscript before submitting it to a traditional journal.
Benefits of open peer review
Open peer review recognizes the importance of reviewer feedback, the integrity of the review process, and the vital role that it plays in building trust in research.
Open peer review
What can be peer reviewed openly?
Many forms of research can be peer reviewed transparently, including traditional Research Articles.
Here are just some of the article types that can be peer reviewed openly on an F1000 publishing venue.
Becoming a peer reviewer
There’s no single route to becoming a peer reviewer, but if you would like to get involved in peer reviewing, then the below practical steps will help you get started:
Accept invitations for relevant papers or express interest. Some publications may have registration forms you can submit to volunteer as a peer reviewer for their publication. Although, the author may have the final say on who reviews their paper.
Assess the manuscript in good time. If you have been invited to peer review, you will be expected to evaluate a manuscript in a fair, timely, and robust manner. Before you agree, ensure you can perform the review within the time frame and state any conflicts of interest.
Write the peer review report and sign your name. When drafting your peer review report, give yourself enough time to write an organized review that includes constructive and fair feedback, and specific examples where possible. The critique should be useful and help the authors improve their manuscript.
Open peer review
The rise of co-reviewing
Efforts to include early career researchers (ECRs) in the peer review process are on the rise. There are many benefits to involving junior researchers in the peer review process, including expanding the pool of well-trained reviewers and encouraging greater diversity in peer review. Yet, their involvement in peer review is often overlooked.
However, with open peer review, ECRs receive the recognition they deserve by allowing them to openly share their names and reviewer reports alongside manuscripts that have been published open access.
