Elsevier Tests Peer Review Report Transparency

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Apr 02, 2012, 07:54 ET

AMSTERDAM, April 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Review Reports Published With Articles Should Enhance Peer Review Quality

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services, has launched a pilot project aimed at improving the quality of peer review. Review reports for articles in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology will be published alongside the article on SciVerse ScienceDirect. The pilot will last until the end of 2012. If successful, the initiative will also be applied to other Elsevier journals.

"Making the reviews visible to all readers of the article will ultimately lead to higher quality review reports", said Martin Tanke, Managing Director of STM Journals, Elsevier. "In addition, by openly publishing the reviews we want to publically acknowledge the intellectual contribution of the reviewer to the article."

Dr. Xuhui Lee, Editor-in-Chief of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, added, "The published review will provide context to the article by giving multiple perspectives on the quality of the study. It will also enable us to attract the best reviewers for the journal."

Before the article appears on SciVerse ScienceDirect, authors and reviewers are notified of the publication of the review report - as well as the originally submitted manuscript - alongside the article. Reviewers will have the choice whether they would like their name to be revealed with their review reports. Review reports will only be published if they meet certain quality standards.

This peer review initiative is part of Elsevier's ongoing Content Innovation project aimed at improving the article value in all areas of its presentation, content, and context.

About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Mosby's Nursing Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).