Being invited to peer-review a manuscript for a scholarly publication is an honor and a privilege. It means that you are viewed as an expert in the field and your knowledge and wisdom can help impact whether a paper is accepted or rejected. How and when you respond matters.
Did You Know…
Did you know that how you respond to an invitation could impact the entire peer-review process? For instance, if you decline to review a paper, the editor is notified automatically via email and can then invite another potential reviewer. This ensures that there is no delay in the peer review.
However, if an invitation receives no response (accept/decline), the peer-review process is held up for days, if not weeks. How so? When reviewers are invited, the software is designed to allow for an appropriate amount of time for a response. Several days could go by before the section editor is notified that the reviewer did not respond, which prolongs the peer review process.
Responding Is Easy
Email invitations from the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL include convenient hyperlinks to accept or decline an invitation. The invitation also provides you, as an expert in the field, with an opportunity to recommend other potential reviewers. These recommendations help AOAC expand its pool of experts, allowing editors to spread out the number of invitation requests that are sent to potential reviewers.
How Do You Benefit
Being a peer reviewer is more than serving as the doorkeeper of quality research. It’s also an opportunity for self-improvement and learning.
Peer reviewers can develop professional growth by learning about others’ work and contributing to the overall quality of research in the field. Every manuscript is an opportunity to use one’s analytical skills. Every piece of research can broaden understanding of the field and sharpen one’s ability to evaluate and analyze data. Reviewing papers is a great way to stay updated on the latest research and to gain different perspectives.
If you are interested in becoming a reviewer for the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, contact Jennifer Diatz, Director of Publications, at [email protected].
