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Researchers propose streamlining the review process for rejected manuscripts by including the initial reviews when submitting the revised manuscript to another journal, reasoning this would expedite the decision process and decrease the burden on peer reviewers.
In their analysis of the practices of 51 general medical journals surveyed online, researchers find that a quarter of journals at least occasionally receive previous peer-review reports from authors submitting manuscripts, and about one-half indicated an interest in the idea. Editors reported both pros and cons.
They reasoned that including pervious reviews may reduce reviewers' workload, improve transparency, prevent duplication of efforts, and shorten the decision process; however, they expressed concerns about the introduction of bias and reluctance of authors to submit unfavorable reviews.
They also expressed concerns that the practice of using previous peer reports could create lazy reviewers and editors and prohibit the manuscript from receiving an objective fresh start.
In an accompanying editorial, two associate editors of Annals of Family Medicine discuss the growing challenges of reviewers and journal editors whose essential behind-the-scenes work often goes unrecognized and unpaid, but who now serve larger and broader audiences.
The choice of what to publish in medical research publishing, they assert, has higher stakes and is faster paced than ever and has economic and political effects that extend far beyond the laboratory and examination room.
They acknowledge the importance of the fresh perspective reviewers bring to the marketplace of medical publishing, and they call on journals to find ways to reward them for their valuable contribution.
Should Authors Submit Previous Peer-Review Reports When Submitting Research Papers? Views of General Medical Journal Editors By Jochen W. L. Cals, MD, PhD, et al, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Publishing Medical Research: A Marketplace on the CommonsBy John J. Frey III, MD, and William R. Phillips, MD, MPH, University of Wisconsin – Madison and University of Washington, Seattle