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The next generation of reviewers
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning 5 (2013) 1 http://www.pharmacyteaching.com
Opinion
The next generation of reviewers Regardless of discipline or publishing house, most journal editors face similar issues related to identifying, developing and/or preserving their peer reviewer pool. With increasingly complex demands on their time, including reviewing for several journals and authoring their own manuscripts, the existing collection of peer reviewers simply cannot keep up with the increasing volume of manuscripts that require peer review. Delays in the receipt of peer reviewer comments frustrate editors and discourages even the most patient authors. As the pharmacy academy continues to age, not only do we need to groom the educators and researchers of the future, but also prospective peer reviewers. Most residency programs strive to improve the clinical skill sets of their pharmacy residents. This training translates into the provision of better patient care, improved efficiencies within a healthcare team, and potentially, better equipped preceptors. Unfortunately there are very few residency programs that have a teaching or academic focus and even fewer that require their residents to participate in the peer review process. It is important to realize that a portion of the next generation of reviewers can be found in these residents and fellows. In many graduate programs there is an early focus on coursework followed by a near obsession with one or more research projects. Typically little emphasis is placed on service to the profession, and, in specific, there is limited engagement with the peer review process. Co-authoring a peer review with one or more graduate students may represent more work than the faculty advisor wishes to take on. Again, another fraction of the next generation of
reviewers (as well as educators and researchers) can be found in these graduate students. Public recognition of participation as a journal peer reviewer is one way to thank these individuals for their support and efforts. The Editorial Board of Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning acknowledges peer reviewer participation on an annual basis (as part of the last issue of the year) and the Editor-in-Chief is more than willing to provide documentation for inclusion in a promotion and/or tenure dossier that describes reviewer activity. An additional benefit is an Elsevier-provided 30 day free subscription to Scopus for each review that is successfully submitted. Let this introduction serve as a Call for Peer Reviewers!! Agree to participate in the peer review process and consider mentoring your residents, graduate students and even fourth professional year PharmD candidates in the fine art of peer reviewing. Interested?? Contact the Editor-in-Chief /cptl@ midwestern.eduS and within the e-mail message provide 5– 7 key words that describe the areas in which you have the expertise to provide a peer review!! Interested in learning more about the peer review process or addressing peer reviewer comments? Follow the journal on Facebook and Twitter and pick up some tidbits to make your peer reviews have greater impact, as well as how to approach a variety of types of reviewer comments. Respectfully submitted,
1877-1297/13/$ – see front matter r 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2012.11.004
Robin M. Zavod, PhD Editor-in-Chief, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning
Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning 5 (2013) 1 http://www.pharmacyteaching.com
Opinion
The next generation of reviewers Regardless of discipline or publishing house, most journal editors face similar issues related to identifying, developing and/or preserving their peer reviewer pool. With increasingly complex demands on their time, including reviewing for several journals and authoring their own manuscripts, the existing collection of peer reviewers simply cannot keep up with the increasing volume of manuscripts that require peer review. Delays in the receipt of peer reviewer comments frustrate editors and discourages even the most patient authors. As the pharmacy academy continues to age, not only do we need to groom the educators and researchers of the future, but also prospective peer reviewers. Most residency programs strive to improve the clinical skill sets of their pharmacy residents. This training translates into the provision of better patient care, improved efficiencies within a healthcare team, and potentially, better equipped preceptors. Unfortunately there are very few residency programs that have a teaching or academic focus and even fewer that require their residents to participate in the peer review process. It is important to realize that a portion of the next generation of reviewers can be found in these residents and fellows. In many graduate programs there is an early focus on coursework followed by a near obsession with one or more research projects. Typically little emphasis is placed on service to the profession, and, in specific, there is limited engagement with the peer review process. Co-authoring a peer review with one or more graduate students may represent more work than the faculty advisor wishes to take on. Again, another fraction of the next generation of
reviewers (as well as educators and researchers) can be found in these graduate students. Public recognition of participation as a journal peer reviewer is one way to thank these individuals for their support and efforts. The Editorial Board of Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning acknowledges peer reviewer participation on an annual basis (as part of the last issue of the year) and the Editor-in-Chief is more than willing to provide documentation for inclusion in a promotion and/or tenure dossier that describes reviewer activity. An additional benefit is an Elsevier-provided 30 day free subscription to Scopus for each review that is successfully submitted. Let this introduction serve as a Call for Peer Reviewers!! Agree to participate in the peer review process and consider mentoring your residents, graduate students and even fourth professional year PharmD candidates in the fine art of peer reviewing. Interested?? Contact the Editor-in-Chief /cptl@ midwestern.eduS and within the e-mail message provide 5– 7 key words that describe the areas in which you have the expertise to provide a peer review!! Interested in learning more about the peer review process or addressing peer reviewer comments? Follow the journal on Facebook and Twitter and pick up some tidbits to make your peer reviews have greater impact, as well as how to approach a variety of types of reviewer comments. Respectfully submitted,
1877-1297/13/$ – see front matter r 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2012.11.004
Robin M. Zavod, PhD Editor-in-Chief, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning