Last week was devoted to peer review and exploring the role of personal and social identity associated with it. Open peer review has become a popular topic of discussion and debate, so it is no surprise that it was included. The Scholarly Kitchen brought this subject to our attention in their article, “Open Reviewer Identities: Full Steam Ahead or Proceed with Caution?“
Though there is no approved and agreed upon definition of open peer review, it is often viewed as a progressive or alternative approach. Open peer review isn’t new. In fact, in one form or another, it has been part of the conversation in scholarly communications since the 1980s.
While most studies have focused on the impact of open identities on peer review outcomes, it’s also useful to consider what they mean for readers of published work. It is clear that open identities carry some risk and more research is needed to understand their full impact.
Melody K. Smith
Sponsored by Access Innovations, the intelligence and the technology behind world-class explainable AI solutions.
