Open AccessA Quick Guide to Writing a Solid Peer Review
Author(s) -
Nicholas Kimberly A.,
Gordon Wendy
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the bulletin of the ecological society of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2327-6096
pISSN - 0012-9623
DOI - 10.1890/0012-9623-92.4.376
Subject(s) - scrutiny , process (computing) , peer review , technical peer review , computer science , quality (philosophy) , reading (process) , engineering ethics , criticism , constructive criticism , scientific writing , constructive , field (mathematics) , psychology , political science , epistemology , engineering , art , philosophy , literature , mathematics , pure mathematics , law , operating system
Scientific integrity and consensus rely on the peer review process, a defining feature of scientific discourse that subjects the literature forming the foundation of credible knowledge in a scientific field to rigorous scrutiny. However, there is surprisingly little training in graduate school on how to develop this essential skill (Zimmerman et al. 2011), or discussion of best practices to ensure that reviewers at all levels efficiently provide the most useful review. Even more challenging for the novice peer reviewer is that journals also vary widely in their review guidelines. Nonetheless, the goals of peer review are crystal clear: to ensure the accuracy and improve the quality of published literature through constructive criticism.