Peer review is a well-established process that has been a formal part of scientific communication for over 300 years. Subjecting submissions to peer review has become the foundation of the scholarly publication system because it effectively subjects an author’s work to the scrutiny of other experts in the field. This step in the publishing cycle encourages authors to produce high-quality research that will advance the field of research.
Peer reviewers are expected to do more than just provide, as Richard Smith, former editor of the BMJ (previously the British Medical Journal) says, “a fair, honest, and unbiased assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript”1. The Council of Science Editors2 identifies their responsibilities as:
- Evaluating the scientific accuracy, composition, novelty and relevance of the research
- Giving feedback about the strengths and overall value of the paper
- Alerting the journal editor to potential ethical issues
- Delivering an unbiased, constructive, and informative review of the manuscript
- Ensuring the entire peer review process remains confidential.
For these reasons, peer review is regarded as a vital part of the scholarly publishing code of best practice. Another important part of the code of best practice is that all manuscripts and substantive correspondence relating to published papers should be properly and accessibly stored, preferably in a well-designed record- and document-handling system.
Sabinet’s Online Publishing not only enhances the dissemination of journals but also specialises in bringing the latest online publishing systems to South African publishers, with local support and pricing, allowing publishers and journals to choose between two internationally acclaimed submission and peer-review management systems, assisting in every phase of the publishing cycle:
Open Journal Systems (OJS) brought to you by Sabinet caters to the seamless publishing of peer-reviewed journals with faculty and researchers enjoying journal management across every stage of the peer-review and editorial process, from submission to final publication. OJS is also an ORCID-certified service provider. OJS by Sabinet can support the operation of multiple journals and publishers, in combination with Sabinet African Journals, journals can enjoy optimised content discovery across search engines OJS by Sabinet also provides an environment for the preservation and sustainable management of scholarly content, adhering to the best practice.
PowerReview is a hassle-free online manuscript submission and peer review system that helps publishers and journals expedite their editorial process. While bringing effective online publishing and heightened efficiency into the hands of the contributor, the copyright resides with the publisher. PowerReview also integrates with other services including Sabinet African Journals, CrossRef, and PubMed. Furthermore, it includes the ORCID Peer Review workflow, which offers South African journals and authors a quick and easy way to manage and update ORCID records.
No matter the challenges you experience with the peer review process, Sabinet has a solution to help you manage your way through.
- BMJ.com. Resources for reviewers. https://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/resources-reviewers
- Council of Science Editors. Reviewer Roles and Responsibilities. https://www.councilscienceeditors.org/resource-library/editorial-policies/publication-ethics/2-3-reviewer-roles-and-responsibilities/#:~:text=The%20purpose%20of%20peer%20review,intellectual%20independence%20of%20the%20author.