CRS Peer Review & Publication Process 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'open peer review' in the context of scholarly publishing?
- A process where reviewer identities and reports are publicly disclosed (Correct answer)
- A system where any member of the public can submit a review
- Peer review conducted only by open-access journal editors
- A review process that requires no revisions before publication
Correct answer: A process where reviewer identities and reports are publicly disclosed
Open peer review makes reviewer identities and/or their reports publicly accessible, promoting transparency and accountability.
Question 2: Which type of publication bias occurs when studies with statistically significant results are more likely to be published?
- Citation bias
- Positive publication bias (Correct answer)
- Confirmation bias
- Selection bias
Correct answer: Positive publication bias
Positive publication bias is the tendency for journals to preferentially publish studies showing significant or positive results over null or negative findings.
Question 3: A manuscript that is sent back to authors with required changes before a final decision is given a:
- Conditional rejection
- Major revision decision (Correct answer)
- Desk rejection
- Accept with minor edits
Correct answer: Major revision decision
A major revision decision asks authors to make substantial changes and resubmit, with no guarantee of acceptance until the revised version is re-reviewed.
Question 4: What does 'impact factor' (IF) measure for a journal?
- The average number of citations articles receive in a two-year window (Correct answer)
- The total number of articles published per year
- The percentage of submitted manuscripts that are accepted
- The number of countries where a journal is indexed
Correct answer: The average number of citations articles receive in a two-year window
Impact factor is calculated as the average number of citations received per article published in a journal during the preceding two years.
Question 5: Which term describes the practice of submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals?
- Duplicate submission
- Parallel submission (Correct answer)
- Redundant publication
- Salami slicing
Correct answer: Parallel submission
Parallel (or simultaneous) submission—sending one manuscript to multiple journals at once—is an ethical violation, as most journals require exclusive submission.
Question 6: The CONSORT statement primarily assists authors in reporting which type of study?
- Systematic reviews
- Randomized controlled trials (Correct answer)
- Qualitative interviews
- Cross-sectional surveys
Correct answer: Randomized controlled trials
CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) provides a checklist and flow diagram to improve the transparent reporting of randomized controlled trials.
Question 7: What is a 'preprint' in the scholarly communication process?
- A manuscript posted publicly before formal peer review (Correct answer)
- The final typeset version of an accepted article
- A summary sent to reviewers before the full manuscript
- A printed copy distributed at conferences only
Correct answer: A manuscript posted publicly before formal peer review
A preprint is an author's version of a research manuscript posted to a public server (e.g., arXiv, bioRxiv) before it undergoes formal peer review.
CRS Peer Review & Publication Process 2
What is 'open peer review' in the context of scholarly publishing?