FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
Peer Review Week 2021 is September 20 – 24, 2021. It is recognized by publishers, organizations, and institutions to promote awareness of this important part of academic publishing and scholarly communication.
‘What will they think, will they like it? Was it good?’ you eagerly and nervously ask yourself. You put in your heart and a lot of practice, and now your work faces a panel who will tell you what they think about it! Are you a contestant on America’s Got Talent or The Voice? No! Instead, you submitted an article that is about to go through the peer review process so it can get published!
What is Peer Review? When a contestant appears on AGT or The Voice, they perform for judges Simon, Sofia, and other accomplished people in showbiz. The judges then tell the contestant what they think and decide if he or she goes further in the competition. People who want to publish their work in scholarly and scientific publications also go through something similar!
Peer review is a process of evaluation. When a work like an article manuscript is submitted to a publication, an expert panel reviews it. Next, the panel provides feedback along with recommendations on whether or not to publish it. Because of this, peer reviewed publications are also known as refereed or scholarly works. Peer review is considered the gold standard, or a mark of high quality, in scholarly or academic publishing.
What is the Purpose of Peer Review? Peer review provides a quality control where a work is judged for its quality, accuracy, relevance, and contribution to a field. Reviewers are experts who use their knowledge and experience to comment on work, and their feedback provides guidance for improving a work before it is published.
Most scholarly works undergo the peer review process. Although an editor reviews publications like blogs and magazines, these don’t go through the same type of review. Your professors and instructors frequently want you to use peer-reviewed sources in your assignments because these sources are viewed as being more credible because they were written and reviewed by professionals. Peer review is almost like facing AGT or The Voice judges and getting their kudos (or knocks), but in a scholarly setting!
More Information:
- The Peer Review Process [Recording]: https://youtu.be/qSi89SY5xtQ
- Peer Review Week 2021: https://peerreviewweek.wordpress.com/
Image Source: America’s Got Talent Judges, by Trae Patton, NBC Universal.
