Stephanie Hull, Head of Content Acquisition at Emerald Publishing, moderated the session aimed at practical advice for reviewers. Panelists were Prof. Vivian W.Y. Tam, Western Sydney University, Australia and Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Construction Management, and Prof. Farzad Rahimian, Teesside University and Editor-in-Chief of Smart and Sustainable Built Environment.
Prof. Tam reminded the group that peer reviewers are the gatekeepers to a discipline to ensure good science. Reviewers should know that being invited to serve as a reviewer means that someone has noticed your work in a positive way. Prof. Tam highlighted the benefits of being a reviewer including: the opportunity to have an insider’s view of new directions; intellectual stimulating reading; raising your own academic/reputational credibility; the opportunity to sharpen your own skills as a writer.
Prof. Rahimian highlighted the need to give back scholarly service as a manuscript reviewer. He recommended that for every paper you submit you should at least conduct 2 reviews. He stressed that editors appreciate a quick reply even if you cannot conduct the review and that they really need you recommend others to review. Prof. Rahimian discussed the process within the journal and the career advancement – the best reviewers can be asked to serve on the editorial review board.
His advice on conducting reviews was to be as objective as possible. He discussed justice and specific context. Authors spend a lot of time preparing manuscripts; even if you do not think it is worthy of publication in the specific journal you are reviewing for, he recommends providing a thorough and objective review to help the authors raise the quality of their paper.
Prof. Rahimian recommends thinking twice before writing something – your writing can be critical and seen as sarcastic. This does no one any good. Thinking about how you say a manuscript needs improvement is important.
Stephanie led an excellent discussion amongst the group from the publisher perspective. She emphasized to consider the author experience as all reviewers are also authors. Farzad highlighted when thinking about papers and even systematic reviews, the fundamental question should be “Did I learn something that I didn’t know before reading this?” He recommended this as the golden rule. Prof. Tam’s final thoughts were “Be constructive for the sake of mankind”, an excellent mantra for us all to live our professional and personal lives. Stephanie wrapped the session up for the over 30 attendees, stressing journal editors as being very thoughtful academics who have a rich history of publishing, reviewing, and mentoring.
