How to peer review a scientific or scholarly article Amy Keenum, DO, PharmD, a Jay Shubrook, DO, FACOFP b From a Lincoln Memorial–DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Harrogate, TN; and b Department of Family Medicine, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, OH This article describes the process of peer review from receipt of an article by a journal to publication. The need for timely response is explained. The importance and method of completing a helpful peer review is detailed. Specifically the areas of originality, structure, language, and ethical concerns are discussed. Communication between the peer reviewer and both the authors and the editors is highlighted. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. KEYWORDS: Peer review; Literature search; Citation Why be a reviewer? The purpose of this article is to help physicians peer review scientific or scholarly articles before publication. Physicians are “reviewers” daily in their clinical practice. They rou- tinely interpret journal articles, television and radio medical newscasts, and newspaper articles. However, this review is often completed unconsciously. Physicians can spend as little as 1 minute per patient to assimilate new information at any given visit. Further, physicians spend as little as 30 minutes per day reading medical journals, 1 so physicians must be savvy readers to use the medical literature effec- tively. Overview of the process There are multiple steps a scientific or scholarly article must go through before being published in a medical jour- nal. Of course, research is the first step followed by manu- script development. The process of writing a scientific paper is covered in a previous review article that can be found online at http://www2.acofp.org/education/SF_10/handouts/ pm_3.00_Wed_10.27.10_Shubrook_Jay_How_to_Write_a_ Paper.pdf. Manuscript review is a critical next step in the publication process. 2 When specifics are needed, the authors will use the Osteopathic Family Physician as an example. Overview When a manuscript is submitted to a medical journal, it is usually first received by the editorial staff. The first review is then completed by the managing editor to make sure the submission is complete and meets the basic stan- dards for submission. If a manuscript passes this review, it is forwarded to the Editor. The Associate Editor’s job is to determine whether the paper would be of interest to the journal’s readership and whether it fits into the upcoming editorial calendar (plan of topics). If the Editor sees merit in the paper, it will be recommended for external review. Most journals have an Editorial Board that contributes to the direction of the journal. Many members of this board also serve as active reviewers for submitted articles. In addition to review by the Editorial Board, subject specialty reviewers are often sought. These reviewers are often content experts in their field. Many journals request that the author suggest reviewers on the topic of the paper. These suggested re- viewers are sometimes but not always approached to review the manuscript. If the editors agree the submission meets their criteria and the topic would interest readers because the research Corresponding author: Amy Keenum, DO, PharmD, Lincoln Memori- al-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Harrogate TN 37752. E-mail address: akeenummsu@gmail.com. Osteopathic Family Physician (2012) 4, 176-179 1877-573X/$ -see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.osfp.2012.06.003