Nature will test open peer review

Nature will test open peer review

At the beginning of June, the journal Nature launched an experiment with an open form of peer review where some reviewers' names will be revealed to authors. During a three-month trial period, the journal will ask authors if they wish to participate in the open form of review. The manuscripts of those who choose to participate will appear online as preprints, and people who provide their name and institutional e-mail address can post comments about the content. Editors will also send those papers to anonymous reviewers, and will consider all comments in decisions about acceptance for publication.

The open peer review format that Nature is testing is novel. The journal Physics has a freestanding preprint database called ArXiv. The British Medical Journal has made its peer reviews transparent since 1999, by having reviewers sign their comments. Before now, no journals are known to have solicited signed comments from anyone who would like to contribute. After the three-month trial, Nature may continue using the database of preprints but will not very likely soon give up its confidential reviews.
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 6, 2006