Effective Peer Reviewing

by Sushree Shailani Suman

What do you mean by “Peer Reviewing”?

A peer review is a planned and well-organized process that aims to improve the quality of a research paper. It is the most effective feedback-generation system that takes place during the development of a research paper.

Who is considered as a “peer”?

A peer is someone who is related to the field of study, doing similar kind of research, and an expert in the mentioned area of research. A peer is neither the author nor the person who has provided grants for successful completion of the research paper.

Types of Peer Review:

In broader terms, peer reviews are classified into two types: internal peer review (which includes the editorial team members) and external peer review (which includes experts in the particular field of study).

The peer review process looks for:

• Suitability of the paper for the target journal, which may include cross checking with the journal requirements and scope of publication of the research article. The reviewer’s objective is to identify the uniqueness of the conducted study.
• Relevance of the intext citations as well as those in the reference section.
• Accuracy of the statistical analysis and correct presentation of the data.
• Proper and accurate formatting of the text, tables, figures, references, etc.
• Confirmation of the inclusion of the conflict of interest disclosure, copyright forms duly signed by the authors, citation of the ethical consideration, etc.
• Relevant citation in the conclusion.

There are several advantages of peer reviewing. The process:

• Leads to the generation of a high-quality publication by improving the contents.
• Helps in the improvement of the structure of the paper.
• Provides a logical view of the research paper.
• Enables the author to use critical feedback in a productive or constructive manner by incorporating important changes in the research paper.
• Helps authors by pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of the research work.
• Helps authors in their learning process for future research.

Conversely, an inadequate or below-par peer review might lead to the following problems:

• Poor error and fraud detection.
• Slower process for finalizing the paper.

Nonetheless, the advantages far outweigh the cons. Therefore, the peer review process needs to be adopted by research writers as it helps them improve the quality of the research writing.