REVIEWERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD AN ENHANCEMENT OF THE PEER-REVIEW PROCESS
Robert Goldberg1 and James E. Dalen2
1Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Ave North, Worcester, MA 01655, USA; 2University of Arizona School of Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ, USA
Objective and Design: We recently published an editorial in the Archives of Internal Medicine that was designed to enhance the peer review of scientific manuscripts (Arch Intern Med 157:380, 1997). To improve the reviews of manuscripts, each of the major study designs used in clinical and epidemiological studies were discussed and overviewed. These included case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, and randomized controlled trials. A checklist of factors to consider in reviewing each of these designs was provided. After publishing this editorial in February, 1997, we solicited comments from reviewers during the spring as to the usefulness of this article through a mailed survey.
Results: Among survey respondents, 145 (72%) said that they would use the guide presented in the published editorial for reviewing observational studies and randomized trials while 57 respondents said that they either would not (n=19) use this guide or were unsure (n=38). The majority (87%) of individuals responding to this survey said that they would use the checklists provided to critique an article. A majority of survey respondents suggested that we enclose a copy of the editorial to all future reviewers of manuscripts for the Archives.
Conclusions: The results of this survey suggest a positive response to enhancing the peer review of submitted manuscripts to a major medical journal.
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