Peer review and preprint policies are unclear at most major journals.
Clear and findable publishing policies are important for authors to choose appropriate journals for publication. We investigated the clarity of policies of 171 major academic journals across disciplines regarding peer review and preprinting. 31.6% of journals surveyed do not provide information on t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2020-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239518 |
| _version_ | 1818838087220854784 |
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| author | Thomas Klebel Stefan Reichmann Jessica Polka Gary McDowell Naomi Penfold Samantha Hindle Tony Ross-Hellauer |
| author_facet | Thomas Klebel Stefan Reichmann Jessica Polka Gary McDowell Naomi Penfold Samantha Hindle Tony Ross-Hellauer |
| author_sort | Thomas Klebel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Clear and findable publishing policies are important for authors to choose appropriate journals for publication. We investigated the clarity of policies of 171 major academic journals across disciplines regarding peer review and preprinting. 31.6% of journals surveyed do not provide information on the type of peer review they use. Information on whether preprints can be posted or not is unclear in 39.2% of journals. 58.5% of journals offer no clear information on whether reviewer identities are revealed to authors. Around 75% of journals have no clear policy on co-reviewing, citation of preprints, and publication of reviewer identities. Information regarding practices of open peer review is even more scarce, with <20% of journals providing clear information. Having found a lack of clear information, we conclude by examining the implications this has for researchers (especially early career) and the spread of open research practices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T03:32:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5e80c0b748694872bf27ca974342752a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T03:32:49Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-5e80c0b748694872bf27ca974342752a2022-12-21T20:37:28ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032020-01-011510e023951810.1371/journal.pone.0239518Peer review and preprint policies are unclear at most major journals.Thomas KlebelStefan ReichmannJessica PolkaGary McDowellNaomi PenfoldSamantha HindleTony Ross-HellauerClear and findable publishing policies are important for authors to choose appropriate journals for publication. We investigated the clarity of policies of 171 major academic journals across disciplines regarding peer review and preprinting. 31.6% of journals surveyed do not provide information on the type of peer review they use. Information on whether preprints can be posted or not is unclear in 39.2% of journals. 58.5% of journals offer no clear information on whether reviewer identities are revealed to authors. Around 75% of journals have no clear policy on co-reviewing, citation of preprints, and publication of reviewer identities. Information regarding practices of open peer review is even more scarce, with <20% of journals providing clear information. Having found a lack of clear information, we conclude by examining the implications this has for researchers (especially early career) and the spread of open research practices.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239518 |
| spellingShingle | Thomas Klebel Stefan Reichmann Jessica Polka Gary McDowell Naomi Penfold Samantha Hindle Tony Ross-Hellauer Peer review and preprint policies are unclear at most major journals. PLoS ONE |
| title | Peer review and preprint policies are unclear at most major journals. |
| title_full | Peer review and preprint policies are unclear at most major journals. |
| title_fullStr | Peer review and preprint policies are unclear at most major journals. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Peer review and preprint policies are unclear at most major journals. |
| title_short | Peer review and preprint policies are unclear at most major journals. |
| title_sort | peer review and preprint policies are unclear at most major journals |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239518 |
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