Open Peer Review

Definition

Open peer review is an umbrella term for a number of overlapping ways that peer review models can be adapted in line with the aims of Open Science, including making reviewer and author identities open, publishing review reports and enabling greater participation in the peer review process. The full list of traits is:

• Open identities: Authors and reviewers are aware of each other’s identity
• Open reports: Review reports are published alongside the relevant article.
• Open participation: The wider community to able to contribute to the review process.
• Open interaction: Direct reciprocal discussion between author(s) and reviewers, and/or between reviewers, is allowed and encouraged.
• Open pre-review manuscripts: Manuscripts are made immediately available (e.g., via pre-print servers like arXiv) in advance of any formal peer review procedures.
• Open final-version commenting: Review or commenting on final “version of record” publications.
• Open platforms (“decoupled review”): Review is facilitated by a different organizational entity than the venue of publication.

Source : Tony Ross-Hellauer - What is open peer review ? A systematic review

Presentation

Scientific knowledge has been built for centuries through peer review, scientists validating each other’s research work to advance science.

Traditionally, the results of research were sent to a scientific journal for evaluation by other scientists.

With the advent of the digital, pre-publication platforms are being set up where researchers can publish their work with this evaluation being carried out in an open manner, with peers reviewing the research without necessarily being selected according to a more public process. For example, the article providing the definition on F1000Research shows validation by 4 reviewers and their comments.

The benefits can be manifold: a greater number of reviewers, improved transparency of evaluation, interaction between scientists, etc. The aim is to achieve higher-quality research.