What is a peer-reviewed journal?
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"Peer reviewed" is one of the most important labels in research publishing, and one of the most misunderstood. It means that independent experts judged a manuscript before the journal published it. It does not mean the paper is correct. This guide explains the process and how to check a journal.
How peer review works
Elsevier's description is typical: reviewers evaluate submitted research to help validate it and improve its quality; journals set their own review model; handling editors choose and invite the reviewers. Elsevier states that research articles typically receive at least two independent external reviews. Other publishers may differ, so check the journal's own description.
- The authors submit a manuscript, and the editorial office checks that it fits the journal and its rules.
- An editor invites experts to review it.
- Reviewers report on the design, methods, interpretation and clarity, and recommend a decision.
- The editor decides (accept, revise or reject) and sends the authors the comments.
- Authors revise and reply; the paper may go through more rounds.
COPE asks reviewers to be objective, specific and constructive, to keep the manuscript confidential and to declare conflicts of interest.
Single, double and open review
- Single anonymized: authors do not learn the reviewers' names. This is the traditional and most common model. Elsevier notes that authors may worry about delay and that anonymity may make some reviewers harsher than needed.
- Double anonymized: neither authors nor reviewers are named. It can reduce bias based on factors like gender, nationality or reputation, but reviewers can often still guess the authors from style, topic or self-citations.
- Open: an umbrella term for more transparency, such as authors and reviewers knowing each other, publishing reviewer names, or publishing the reports. Critics argue that reviewers may soften their criticism out of politeness or fear of retaliation.
DOAJ's transparency principles say a journal should describe its review process: who carries it out, how reviewers are chosen, how many reviews each paper gets and the expected timelines, and any article that skips normal review must say so.
What peer review cannot guarantee
- It does not guarantee that a result is true; it is a judgement by people, and people can miss things.
- It cannot ensure anonymity in every model; Elsevier notes that anonymity cannot be fully guaranteed in any model.
- It cannot detect every error or case of misconduct. COPE tells reviewers who suspect problems to inform the editor and not to investigate on their own.
- The quality varies by journal. A journal may say that it is peer reviewed without doing so properly, which is why the checks below matter.
- Even so, Elsevier calls peer review the only widely accepted method for validating research, while stating that it has limitations.
How to check a journal
- Read the journal's peer review policy: does it say who reviews, how many reviewers, and what the process is? Think. Check. Submit. asks whether the journal explains this, and whether it avoids guaranteeing acceptance or promising very quick review.
- Look for a named, qualified editorial board. WAME lists unidentified, unqualified or duplicated editors as warning signs.
- Check the publisher's identity and contact details, and verify the ISSN in the ISSN portal.
- Look for the journal in DOAJ if it is open access, and ask whether the publisher follows COPE.
- Be careful about claims of indexing or impact factors. WAME lists false claims about them as a sign of integrity problems. Verify any claim in the index itself.
- Read some recent articles. Do they look carefully edited? Do they show publication dates, which DOAJ says journals should provide?