Peer Review Case Study
Streamlining peer review flow at the editor’s desk
A leading STM Journal Publisher wanted to reduce bottlenecks in the submission queue
Intro
Research is hard work, and publishing speed is crucial
Peer review is a pivotal cornerstone of academic literature. Peer review offers a guarantee of the quality, reliability and integrity of scholarly journals. The massive surge of journals and articles globally, accelerated by instant online access to publications, has further increased rigorous peer review work demands. On the other hand, predatory journals have exploited Open Access policies to introduce various new risks.
As research output across the globe has increased manifold, accelerating publication speed is critical to knowledge dissemination. A scholar’s hard work needs to reach its audience at publication speeds we all have come to expect in the digital era. Balancing speed and rigour at the peer review stage is ever more crucial, as it determines the rate of scientific knowledge delivery.
achieving rapid publication cycle
Streamlining peer review flow at the editor’s desk
Challenge
One of the most common reasons for delayed or missed submissions is the process and tracking bottlenecks. In this case, a single chief editor was managing a sizable percentage of submissions for the publisher. The workflow was hindered as submissions were stuck in the editor’s queue for 18 months and the editorial board didn’t receive them for further handling.
solution
Integra’s experts did a deep dive data analysis that included turnaround time, performance analysis of everyone involved, journal performance statistics, timeline reports. Integra worked along with the publisher to set up the following supports for maximizing their online tracking system:
- Automated reminder system for editors/reviewers/authors
- Standard procedure to follow up after automated reminders
- Recruitment of additional members for the referee pool
- Record management in line with GDPR
- Regular status updates to all the stakeholders of the journal ensuring visibility and transparency
Outcome
Maximum utilization of the tools, combined with efforts from the teams at Integra and the publisher, accelerated the journal towards the incremental growth pattern. This indeed sets the Integra review team apart from others and is the greatest differentiator.
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