OBJECTIVE To describe the process of scientific peer review as it is used in the manuscript submission process, assess threats and challenges to the peer review process, and to offer suggestions for enhancing its effectiveness. DISCUSSION Peer review is often seen as one of the hallmarks of scientific publication. The primary goal of peer review is to improve the science within papers that ar...

I have recently noticed that the Saudi Medical Journal adopted “ask first” protocol to recruit referees. “Asking first” by query potential reviewers before sending manuscriptsis an alternative protocol to “just send” where reviewers are allowed to opt out. Actually, that motivated me to search for the studies, which have evaluated interventions that try to improve peer review. Smith1 stated tha...

Reviewers play key roles in manuscript processing and publication. This article describes in detail how the reviewer serves their two key roles as a gatekeeper of making publication recommendations for the editorial board and a consultant providing constructive comments to authors to improve the quality of the manuscripts to be published.

It has been suggested that traditional anonymous peer review lacks accountability, can lead to abuse by reviewers, and may be biased and inconsistent. In response to these criticisms, the new trend known as open-peer review process (OPR) is proposed. OPR argues that the Internet can provide a better way to judge article quality using the opinion of every reader rather than that of only a couple...

In recent years collaborative e-learning has been emphasized as a learning method that has facilitated knowledge construction and supported student learning. However some universities especially in developing country contexts are struggling to attain minimal educational benefits from its adoption and use. This paper investigates the application of a peer assignment review process for collaborat...