Course

Focus on Peer Review

4 Modules Duration: 3h30

Focus on Peer Review is a free online training course from Nature Masterclasses, delivered by Nature Research journal editors. It contains 1-5 minute videos offering insightful advice, short text posts covering key points, and interactive activities to help consolidate learning.

What you'll learn

  • What it means to be a peer reviewer and what is expected of you once you accept a peer review assignment
  • How to prepare a peer review report
  • The ethics of peer review and recognizing conflicts of interest
  • The different types of peer review and initiatives

Features

  • Free to access upon registration
  • Certificate of completion
  • Taught by 11 Nature Research journal editors and 2 experienced peer reviewers
  • English language captions and transcripts
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The modules

Your role as a peer reviewer | 0h40 | 10 lessons

In this module you will learn to:

  • express the importance of peer review in the scientific process
  • understand the role of the peer reviewer and what is expected of you once you accept a peer review assignment
  • recognise when it is and isn’t appropriate to agree to peer review.
The peer review report | 1h10 | 16 lessons

In this module you will learn to:

  • develop a strategy to perform peer review in an efficient and thorough way
  • recognise which aspects of a paper you should review and what to look out for in each section
  • identify the appropriate tone and construction for your report.
Ethics in peer review | 0h50 | 10 lessons

In this module you will learn to:

  • outline your responsibilities as a peer reviewer
  • recognise and respond to conflicts of interest
  • recognise acceptable confidentiality practices.
Variations and innovations in peer review | 0h50 | 10 lessons

In this module you will learn to:

  • identify and explain the types of peer review that are in common usage
  • describe and evaluate different initiatives to keep peer review open and honest
  • consider variations across journals and disciplines.