How to Be the Reviewer You Want to Have (Webinar Recording)-How to Be the Reviewer You Want to Have Webinar Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar, hosted for Peer Review Week, featured Dr. Gail Bishop of the Journal of Immunology discussing how to be a thoughtful, constructive reviewer. She emphasized that peer review is essential to scientific trust and quality, yet many researchers receive little formal training.<br /><br />Dr. Bishop outlined why reviewers should accept assignments: to stay current on new research, sharpen critical thinking, improve one’s own writing, build professional relationships, and develop a strong reputation. She also warned against bad motivations such as revenge, favoritism, conflict of interest, or padding a CV without enough time to do careful work.<br /><br />Her main advice was to review fairly, thoroughly, and courteously. Reviewers should understand the study’s context, assess whether the question is important, examine figures and controls carefully, and judge whether the methods and conclusions are valid. She stressed prioritizing comments, being specific, and distinguishing essential revisions from optional suggestions. If a manuscript is out of scope or fundamentally flawed, reviewers should recommend rejection clearly and politely.<br /><br />The Q&A covered review articles, suspected AI use, misconduct, trainee co-reviewing, reviewer qualifications, and how editors handle conflicting reviews. The session closed by encouraging attendees to practice ethical, clear, and helpful peer review.

Keywords

peer review

constructive feedback

scientific publishing

reviewer ethics

journal review

research evaluation

Dr. Gail Bishop

Peer Review Week