I will share what I’ve learnt concerning the tutorial peer overview course of by way of a private journey from a hesitant reviewer to an Affiliate Editor for the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (Impression Issue 4.6).
Whereas most conventional science and engineering publications require prior publication expertise and tutorial credentials to function reviewers, machine studying and information science is likely to be an exception. A big driver of the widespread adoption and use of knowledge science has been open-source tasks and repositories. Many influential contributors to open-source information science aren’t all the time revealed researchers however possess deep data of the sector by way of follow and experimentation. Moreover, formal tutorial levels in machine studying have solely existed for just a few years, and plenty of present researchers come from various backgrounds. I, for instance, have a background in Mechanical Engineering.
With the above in thoughts, I hope that if you’re a machine studying practitioner who’s curious concerning the overview course of and desires to become involved, this text ought to present some worth.
· My Story
· What’s Peer Assessment?
∘ Shouldn’t Editorial Board Members be the Specialists?
· Peer Assessment Course of
· Why You Ought to Think about Peer Reviewing
· How Can You Get Concerned?
∘ Monitoring Peer Evaluations utilizing Internet of Science
∘ Do I have to be a broadcast researcher?
· How A lot Time Does it Take?
· Conclusion
· Chilly Electronic mail Template
· Disclaimer
In August 2024, I reached 100 verified peer opinions for 9 totally different tutorial journals and conventions. Though I carried out my first overview in 2016, it was not till mid-2022 that I actually began having fun with the method.
As a graduate scholar (2015–2020), I by no means actually loved reviewing papers. As a substitute, I largely did it as a tutorial obligation when my advisor requested me to take action. Moreover, I lacked confidence in my potential to critique others’ work, provided that I solely had few publications beneath my belt.
After graduating, I discovered it difficult to remain up-to-date with new analysis. As a scholar, studying papers was a part of the job. In trade, nonetheless, I solely learn the preferred papers. To remain present with the most recent analysis, fulfill my tutorial duties, and construct a stronger analysis profile, I started emailing editors of varied journals to specific my curiosity in turning into a reviewer. Though I obtained responses from virtually all the journals, solely 2–3 assigned me papers initially. Over time, I began receiving overview requests from journals I hadn’t contacted as nicely.
In late 2023, I utilized to IEEE RA-L for an Affiliate Editor function and was ultimately chosen to serve within the human-robot-interaction monitor.
In the remainder of this text, I’ll clarify:
- the significance of peer reviewing and what the method entails,
- why it is best to think about reviewing for tutorial publications and how you may get began
- time dedication and different elements to think about
Lastly, I will even share a chilly electronic mail template that you need to use to succeed in out to editors.
Though there may be some controversy over the efficacy of the peer overview course of, I don’t think about myself well-versed sufficient to touch upon that side. As a substitute, I’ll concentrate on sharing my experiences and learnings.