Supporting ECRs in peer review
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A few weeks ago it was one of the most important week for researchers, despite not always being as acknowledged as it should. For those who missed it, it was not Open Access Week, but Peer Review Week. This is the annual event to celebrate the value of peer review in scholarly publishing. And peer review does not happen without the contributions from tens of thousands of researchers who dedicate their time and energy to support the scientific endeavor.
One publisher that is committed to peer review, is PLOS. Here is a list of blogs that PLOS have published in recent years that touch on the topic of peer review. PLOS also provide a Peer Review Center, which has helpful tips if you are just starting out as a peer reviewer and you can sign-up to receive the Peer Review Toolbox directly to your inbox. It is packed with tips and resources; it has everything you need to help you succeed in your important role as a PLOS reviewer. You can Subscribe here.
PLOS is also dedicated to supporting Early Career Researchers (ECRs), because despite producing new scientific knowledge that they share in publications, ECRs are rarely invited to participate in the peer-review process. Reported barriers to the participation of ECRs as peer reviewers include, among other things, their lack of visibility to editors, inexperience in the review process and lack of confidence in their scientific knowledge.
To break this barrier, the new journal PLOS Climate are now creating a dedicated space within the journal to shine a light on ECR-led research. Previously, they have already forged productive relationships with established ECR networks. A new Collection in the journal will now highlight research across the journal’s scope that has been spearheaded by ECRs, whom they define as “current students or researchers who have been active in research for up to eight years since receiving their PhD”. They now invite all ECR authors to identify themselves during the submission process by entering ‘ECR Collection’ in the Collections field of the submission form. They will then use this information to select articles for inclusion in the Collection.
PLOS Climate is also launching a new editorial board mentorship scheme in 2025, where ECR mentees participating in the scheme will be paired with one existing editor as a mentor, and involved in handling submissions to PLOS Climate in collaboration with the mentor. Additional support and training will be provided by the journal. Upon successful completion of the scheme, mentees will then be offered the opportunity to join PLOS Climate as full members of the editorial board
This is an important step forward. By including ECRs in the peer-review process, the burden on established researchers can be reduced. Previous research has also shown that PhD students spend more time on the review than those further advanced in their careers and provide a similar proportion of substantive comments.
So, if you’re an ECR and interested in applying to join the scheme as a mentee with PLOS Climate, please send a copy of your CV to the Executive Editor Dr Jamie Males by 30th November 2024. Please also include the following information:
Your motivation for wanting to join the mentorship scheme
Details of your experience as a peer reviewer
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