How Well Do You Know
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Take this short quiz to test how well you understand what it takes to be a peer reviewer and the peer review process.
Peer Review?
What should be considered mandatory reading before you open the manuscript and begin your review?
1.
2.
3.
The journal guidelines
Your Twitter feed
The review form
The review form is essential for understanding the Editor's expectations for the review you will deliver.
Next
Question 1/6
Which of the following situations should you disclose to the Editor if you are invited to review the manuscript?
The author is a former trainee or a student who has been in an independent position for ten years.
The author is a current collaborator on one of your research projects or a close friend with whom you spend time outside of work.
The author is a former collaborator with whom you haven’t collaborated in five years
If the author is a current collaborator or a close friend you spend time with outside of work you will need to disclose this to the editor when responding to the invitation to review. Even if you could provide impartial feedback, any potential or perceived conflict of interest should be reported so the Editor can make an informed decision.
Question 2/6
What information should you know about the journal and Editor’s goals before reviewing a manuscript?
The Impact Factor of the journal
The scope of the research that the journal publishes
The word count limits for each section of this manuscript type
Before you start your review, it is important to understand the scope of research the journal publishes. This will help you determine whether the manuscript is a good fit for that specific journal and whether you have enough time to finish your review.
Question 3/6
A manuscript you have been asked to review uses traditional methods to generate conclusions that will likely be of interest to a small number of research groups in the field and is unlikely to cause any shift in thinking on this topic. Select the appropriate publishing option for the manuscript described.
A field-focused journal that seeks to publish solid research
A journal with a broad, multidisciplinary readership that seeks to publish only the most highly impactful research
A discipline-specific journal with a readership that spans many fields and seeks to publish highly impactful research
Knowing where the research should be published is an important element of the peer review process. In this example, a field-focused journal that seeks to publish solid research would be best suited for a paper that is not likely to make a drastic impact on research in the field.
Question 4/6
The experiment is crucial to understanding or validating the conclusions
You are curious about the outcome of additional experiments, even though they are beyond the scope of the manuscript
The manuscript is missing an experiment that articles on the topic traditionally contain
Suggesting new experiments should be limited to cases when the results of those experiments would be critical to support the conclusions in the manuscript you are reviewing.
During the Peer Review process, when or why should you recommend additional experiments?
Question 5/6
What are some of the benefits of taking ACS Reviewer Lab?
You become a more efficient, objective, and thorough reviewer
You will automatically be selected to review ACS journals
You may have scored higher on this quiz
No matter what you scored on this quiz, ACS Reviewer Lab is a useful resource. Whether you are new to peer review, coming back to it after a hiatus, or a seasoned reviewer training the next generation, Reviewer Lab will be of value.
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Question 6/6
Give us your info to see your score, claim your prize, and keep up with ACS Publications.
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Designed by ACS Editors, leading scientific researchers, and ACS Publications staff, ACS Reviewer Lab is a free and on-demand peer review training course available through the ACS Institute. ACS Reviewer Lab includes six modules that provide real-life guidance on how to navigate tricky ethical situations, identify core criteria for evaluating manuscripts, and write a first-rate review. Learners who pass the final assessment can opt to complete a survey to request a badge for their ACS Paragon Plus account, visible to ACS journal editors when inviting reviewers. REGISTER HERE
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