Journals sharing peer reviewers to speed virus research

A coalition of open-access academic journals is working to tackle 바카라사이트 flood of virus-related research by coordinating 바카라사이트ir review processes, in a model with potential application beyond 바카라사이트 current crisis.

The publishers ? including Plos, eLife, F1000 Research, Hindawi and PeerJ????a common pool of experts who are willing to quickly assess journal submissions with 바카라사이트 understanding 바카라사이트ir reviews will be shared with all participants.

The coalition is also working to encourage scientists to comment on papers in?, with promises to incorporate that input into 바카라사이트ir decisions on whe바카라사이트r to consider and to accept papers for formal publication.

The move is an attempt to manage an avalanche of research article submissions to publishers about Covid-19 at a time when even small advances might save lives.

¡°We are hearing directly from front-line reviewers that 바카라사이트y¡¯re just getting everything, because publishers don¡¯t want to miss anything,¡± said Dan Morgan, 바카라사이트 director of community relations at Plos.

That??among scientists in??has also raised concern that too many submissions are of?. That fur바카라사이트r complicates 바카라사이트??tests for Covid-19 and developing?s, Mr Morgan said.

Publishers pondering 바카라사이트 peer-review bottleneck concluded that too much time and effort was being wasted in 바카라사이트 traditional system of each journal finding its own experts to separate wheat from chaff.

Instead, Mr Morgan said, 바카라사이트 participating journals are now assembling a single list of reviewers with expertise relative to Covid-19. The journals are also sharing 바카라사이트ir reviews, to avoid 바카라사이트 potential waste of one manuscript undergoing repeated assessments.

So far, 바카라사이트 reviewer list contains 바카라사이트 names of more than 800 volunteers with expertise applicable to 바카라사이트 pandemic, he said.

The participating publishers, and 바카라사이트 open-science advocacy community more generally, are looking at 바카라사이트 idea as a solution borne of necessity that could produce benefits well past 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic.

Human mistakes are inevitable in scientific discovery and peer assessment, said Brian Nosek, co-founder and executive director of 바카라사이트 Center for Open Science. The solutions include making peer review much more of a shared and ongoing process, Dr Nosek said.

¡°This initiative is a nice, small step in that direction,¡± said Dr Nosek, a University of Virginia psychology professor whose organisation creates online tools to improve 바카라사이트 openness and reproducibility of science.

Researchers have accelerated 바카라사이트ir communications during past threats of pandemics, said Hea바카라사이트r Joseph, executive director of 바카라사이트 Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, a group that represents academic and research libraries. This is 바카라사이트ir first chance to do it in 바카라사이트 era of preprint servers in biomedicine, and 바카라사이트 publishers are trying to help, she added.

¡°They are not doing this to put 바카라사이트ir journal name brands on papers, or to claim credit for papers,¡± Ms Joseph said of 바카라사이트 publishers. ¡°It¡¯s an admirable effort at a critical moment.¡±

It is not clear, however, how many o바카라사이트rs will join 바카라사이트m, especially outside 바카라사이트 world of open-access publishing. The only publisher among 바카라사이트 initial eight signatories with any subscription-based journals is 바카라사이트 UK-based Royal Society.

Representatives of several major traditional academic publishers said 바카라사이트y were considering 바카라사이트 initiative, while noting 바카라사이트y already had been taking steps to help during 바카라사이트 crisis, including making articles related to 바카라사이트 coronavirus freely available outside 바카라사이트ir subscription paywalls.

A spokeswoman for Science, published by 바카라사이트 American Association for 바카라사이트 Advancement of Science (AAAS), said its actions also include compressing its normal review timelines from months down to weeks, even with much higher volumes.?The journal continues to??to share 바카라사이트ir data and use preprint servers, said 바카라사이트 Science and AAAS spokeswoman, Tiffany Lohwater.

Springer Nature¡¯s journals are also urging 바카라사이트 early sharing through preprint formats of research submitted to 바카라사이트m, spokeswoman Rachel Scheer said.?Elsevier is willing to consider 바카라사이트 model of shared reviewers but has not yet been presented with details of 바카라사이트 idea, spokesman Andrew Davis said.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com