Category Archives: reviewing

style, tone and grammar – native speaker bias in peer reviews

Posted on October 12, 2020 by pat thomson

This is a guest post from Dr Randi Stebbins. Randi is Director of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing. Peer review is a central part of academic publication. The process of back and forth between authors and reviewers is … Continue reading →

Posted in English language, grammar, journal article, peer review, reviewing, style | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

peer reviewing your first paper

Posted on October 14, 2019 by pat thomson

Patter now has over 800 posts. It’s pretty hard to find things on here, even when you know what you’re looking for. Some of the elderly posts are, I hope, still useful. I’ve decided to start an occasional ‘best of’ … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, feedback, journal article, peer review, refereeing, reviewing, reviews | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

the lazy reviewer costs us all

Posted on August 15, 2016 by pat thomson

This is a guest post from Dr Julie Rowlands. Julie’s research applies a critical sociology of education perspective to academic governance, higher education systems, academic work and organisational change. The book of her PhD is on its way – Academic Governance in Contemporary Universities: … Continue reading →

Posted in academic gift exchange, journal article, Julie Rowlands, reviewing | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

reviewing a journal article – are you Jekyll or Hyde?

Posted on March 12, 2015 by pat thomson

So you’ve been sent a paper to review. Before you even start thinking about what to do, and before you start thinking about reading beyond the abstract, it’s a good idea to check the stance you are about to take. … Continue reading →

Posted in Jekyll and Hyde reviewers, journal, reviewing | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

the appraisal and rejection of conference abstracts

Posted on September 12, 2013 by pat thomson

I had an email recently from an early career researcher who’d just had an abstract for a conference knocked back. When they asked for feedback, they were shocked by what they read. Presumably assuming that the writer would never see … Continue reading →

Posted in abstracts, conference papers, early career researchers, peer review, rejection, reviewing | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

should a journal editor know if a paper is from a doctoral researcher?

Posted on April 29, 2013 by pat thomson

One of the most obvious difficulties of a PhD which requires published, rather than publishable, papers is the dependence of the doctoral researcher on the reviewing process. At a very early stage they must brave what can be a lengthy … Continue reading →

Posted in dissertation, early career researchers, journal editor, PhD, PhD by publication, reviewing, thesis | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

writing course day four

Posted on April 6, 2013 by pat thomson

Today in the writing course we began with a shut-up-and-write about what needed to go in the methods section. • What does the journal’s community expect in this section? • What do readers need to know to trust what you … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, conclusion, middle work, reviewing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment