Monthly Archives: September 2015

Does the peer review model affect the quality of peer review?

Maria Kowalczuk

BioMed Central editors looked into the quality of reviewer reports and investigated several different factors that may influence it. The study published in BMJ Open shows that the quality of peer review is slightly higher in BMC Infectious Diseases that operates open peer review compared to BMC Microbiology operating single-blind peer review. Author-suggested reviewers provide reports of comparable quality to reviewers suggested by other parties, but are more likely to recommend acceptance of the manuscript.

Open Access Publishing

Transferable peer review – breaking the cycle

transferaltbigger

Sarah Theissen

As part of the Peer Review Week celebrations, Sarah Theissen looks at one way in which peer review inefficiencies can be addressed by offering a ‘transfer service‘ to facilitate the appropriate transfer of manuscripts including their reviewer reports between journals.

Publishing

Acknowledging our Editors’ hard work and achievement

trophy

Caroline Black

Every year, both BMC-series Section Editors and Editors of our society and proprietary titles are nominated by BioMed Central staff for an award that acknowledges their hard work and achievements throughout the year. Both Editor and Section Editor of the Year are awarded to Editors who have gone above and beyond what is expected of them and this year’s winners are no exception!

Publishing

Changing the face of clinical trials in Ireland

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Sandra Galvin

Teasing out the methodological issues that surround a clinical trial can be challenging. A new initiative has recently been established that hopes to address these critical issues in clinical trials; the Health Research Board-Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN). In this blog, Dr Sandra Galvin, Coordinator of the HRB-TMRN, discusses the involvement of HRB-TMRN in clinical trial methodological research, and explains what the initiative can do for clinical trial researchers themselves.

Medical Evidence Medicine