Becoming a Peer Reviewer – Resources for Early Career Scholars Link copied to clipboard
While research opportunities are slowly improving for early career scholars, successfully navigating through the research environment remains a challenge, especially for underrepresented groups. Early career scholars can be left out of the publishing system due to limited opportunities, lack of mentorship, and little recognition for their hard work. Listed below are several resources intended to help you gain knowledge in becoming a peer reviewer and grow your career.
Free Training Programs and Resources
Delivered by Nature Research journal editors, this class covers an array of topics such as your role as a peer reviewer, the peer review report, ethics in peer review, and variations and innovations in peer review.
This toolkit contains three guides, including a bias reflection guide, reviewer guide, and review assessment rubric. While the toolkit is useful to researchers at any stage in their career, much of the material is intended for early career scholars.
Created by Sense About Science, this guide was written by and intended for early career researchers. Readers will gain the necessary knowledge for becoming an early career peer reviewer, including how the peer review process works, its limitations, and the role it plays in society.
Editorials of Interest
- In support of early career researchers (editorial in Nature Communications)
Abstract: Opportunities for early career researchers (ECRs) to engage with the peer review and publication process can be few and far between. Last year, Nature launched a pilot support programme to introduce ECRs to peer review.
Citation:
In support of early career researchers. (2021). Nature Communications, 12, 2896. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23455-8
- Recognizing the involvement of early-career researchers in peer review (editorial in Nature Reviews Endocrinology)
Abstract: The Nature Reviews journals have started an initiative to encourage the involvement of early-career researchers in Nature Reviews peer review process, to aid with career development and ensure proper acknowledgement.
Citation:
Recognizing the involvement of early-career researchers in peer review. (2020). Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 16, 535. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-020-0404-2