Earn honorarium from paid medical surveys

Modern MedEd partners with MD for Lives to bring you paid online surveys.
Get a $20 bonus just for signing up. For medical professionals only.

Earn unlimited CME on your phone at the point-of-care

Modern MedEd partners with MDCalc to bring you no-hassle CME that you can earn on your phone at the point of care. Earn CME just for using clinical calculators. No post-test required!

Get up to 100 quick & easy category 1 CME credits

Modern MedEd partners with Board Vitals to bring you up to 100 AMA PRA Category 1™ CME Credits in over 30 specialties. Save $125 with promo code MODERN125 before your CME stipend expires!

Get Unlimited Category 1 CME credits for up to 3 years

Modern MedEd partners with VisualDx to bring you unlimited AMA PRA Category 1™ CME Credits in over a dozen specialties. Get our exclusive deal of 2 years for $999 or 3 years for $1,499 before your CME stipend expires!

5 Reasons to be a Peer Reviewer for Scientific Journals

If you hold an advanced degree in a medical or science field, chances are you've seen (or will see, at some point) emails pop up in your inbox with the subject "Invitation to Review for the Journal of…"

Last Updated: 30 March 2019

5 Reasons to be a Peer Reviewer for Scientific Journals

By Sylvie Stacy, MD

This post contains affiliate links. That means we may earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase through one of these links. We recommend you buy any of these products only if you feel they will help you achieve your goals.

Peer Reviewed Literature

If you hold an advanced degree in a medical or science field, chances are you've seen (or will see, at some point) emails pop up in your inbox with the subject “Invitation to Review for the Journal of…”

The message requests your assistance in peer reviewing a manuscript that's been submitted to a scientific journal.

I'm guilty of seeing this subject line and thinking:

I just don't have time for this right now.

The email typically includes a link that allows you to accept the review, or to decline it. Hitting the ‘decline' button is by far the easier of the two options. Thoroughly performing a peer review takes hours. It requires undivided attention, critical thinking, and crafting constructive feedback.

All without compensation.

If you've been tempted to decline an invitation to review a manuscript – or ignore the offer altogether – I get it. But I urge you to accept opportunities to be a peer reviewer. True, you won't receive a paycheck when you're done, but the non-monetary rewards of reviewing journal articles undeniably make up for this.

Here are five reasons you should be a peer reviewer for scientific journals whenever the opportunity arises.

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Modern MedEd:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

You're more likely to get your own manuscript accepted for publication

Reviewing a manuscript submission is a lot more in-depth than simply giving it a quick read. You need to understand the basis for the study, how the research was performed, what the results show, and how the information assimilates with what's already known or being practiced in the field. These things won't always be clear. The manuscript may leave out important details, be worded poorly, or lack organization.

By formulating your own criticism of someone else's article, you'll glean insight that will allow you to better write your own papers down the road. You'll stop writing only from your own perspective as the researcher, and start putting yourself in the shoes of the reader. Peer reviewing will help you avoid making the same mistakes that you come across during your reviews.

You'll stay up to date on research and developments in your field

As practicing clinicians, it's tough to find the time to read journals – even those most closely aligned with our fields. Peer reviewing often necessitates that you check out other publications. These might be references included in the article you're reviewing, sources you look up in order to verify statements, or background information to help you synthesize what you're reading.

It's rare that I complete a peer review without finding myself reading other articles on the topic. This helps to improve my feedback to the authors, but also has broadened my own knowledge.

You'll be more likely to stay on top of research methodologies, hot topics, and guidelines that are relevant to your field.

It will help you be a better practitioner, scientist, and teacher

Serving as a peer reviewer can be a great addition to your professional experience. But it does a lot more than just pad your resume. It will actually strengthen the work you do – whether you're a researcher, teacher, or practice clinical medicine.

You'd be hard-pressed to get through much peer reviewing without learning or deepening your understanding of clinical study design and statistics. You're likely to learn at least a bit about topics such as epidemiology, healthcare quality, or clinical practice guideline development.

Though you may not see the connection between a manuscript and your day-to-day work during the review process itself, it may come up in the near future as an opportunity to teach a student about a statistical test or realizing that you've been ordering a certain lab test that isn't clinically indicated.

Your involvement in your professional field will get noticed

Serving as a peer reviewer suggests that:

  • You support researchers in your field
  • You want to see advancement in your specialty area
  • Your opinion is significant
  • You have the qualities and drive of a leader

By saying “yes” to a simple volunteer opportunity like reviewing a paper, we set ourselves up for additional opportunities. Some of these may also be volunteer work, such as being invited to be part of a journal's editorial board. But others might be paid. Either way, new opportunities will help to further your career and establish yourself within your field.

You Might Also Like:

Best Non-Clinical Side Hustles for Healthcare Professionals

You can use your experience as a peer reviewer to earn extra income

No researcher wants to get a rejection notice from a journal. But it happens. A lot. Journals have strict submission criteria and guidelines. If you enjoy writing and have gotten some experience as a peer reviewer, you can have a profitable side hustle reviewing and editing manuscripts before they get submitted to journals.

Most authors want to do research, not spend their time writing and rewriting. There are a lot of foreign and nonnative English-speakers who seek help with the grammar, word choice, and organization in their manuscripts. In fact, one of the most common pieces of feedback I give as a peer reviewer is “This manuscript would benefit from professional editing.”

Many of these folks are potential clients for you.

You can start your own business that specializes in journal article writing assistance or editing. Alternatively, you can work for a company that hires contractors to perform reviews or provide editing, such as Rubriq. Regardless of which route you take, you can use your experience as a peer reviewer to market yourself and offer a valuable service.

Conclusion

I hope this inspires you to click ‘Accept' the next time you receive an invitation to peer review. If you want the experience but haven't been invited to be a reviewer, consider reaching out to the editor of a journal within your specialty area and expressing your interest.

You can also touch base with a colleague or mentor in an academic setting to see if they're willing to pass your info along to the editor at a journal for which they review.

Sylvie Stacy, MD

Sylvie Stacy, MD

Sylvie Stacy, MD, MPH blogs about careers, nonclinical jobs, income, and fulfillment for medical professionals at Look for Zebras.

Visit Look for Zebras

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
I am interested in...
Join Our Panel of Medical Writers

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Modern MedEd:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Quickly & Easily Find CME
Based on Your Learning Preferences

(18 modailties found)

Click the icon or title to go straight to the most relevant section of the website for that particular CME format.

Audio CME Courses

Listen to your CME while pretending you've found the secret to multitasking.

Clinical Decision Support CME

Experience next level CME with AI-powered clinical decision support tools.

CME Conferences

Miss CME meetings? Take a look at some real-life (and virtual) CME events!

CME with Gift Card Rewards

CME with gift cards and other rewards to stretch your CME allowance further than ever.

Medical Calculators that Earn CME

Earn CME credits at the point of care for using the tools you already know and trust.

Medical Spanish CME Tutoring

Take your communication to the next level and increase access to care for entire communities.

CME Subscriptions

Pay once, access CME for two or three years in dozens of specialties. Updates included.

Online CME Activities

Now that you know you don't HAVE to travel for CME anymore, why would you?

Psychedelic CME

Stay ahead of the game with the latest research in psychedelic medicine. Patients will be asking.

Procedural (Hands-On) CME

Learn essential procedures from home with the same professional materials more cost-effectively.

Question Bank CME

Engaging board-style vignettes with CME credit that adds up quickly and easily.

Travel CME

Learn about essential updates from somewhere you've never been before.

Unlimited CME Credits

Earn all the CME credits you could possibly need (or want) from one CME purchase.

Wilderness CME

Enhance your medical survival skills by practicing in real-life environments with experienced instructors.

Video CME

Visual learners have more options than ever for finding quality CME that speaks to their style.

Ski CME

Learn stuff. Ski. Repeat.
Get paid for claiming "SKI-M-E" credit.

CME Cruises

Earn CME on a river. Or earn CME credits at sea. Don't forget to claim your "SEA"-M-E.

Augmented Reality CME

Give it a few years and it'll be cool.
Just you watch.

Our CME Values: Quality Certified

We work with independent CME providers that do not accept industry funding.

ANy CME we recommend meets the following standards:

Providers not meeting these standards may be mentioned for sake of completeness or topic relevance.
Our relationship will be clearly disclosed.