President's pen: The importance of peer review

How many of us roll our eyes or scroll right past another invitation to review a manuscript, a grant, or even a colleague's request to look over something they have written? I know I have, and I always try to justify it with “not enough time, do not have the expertise, just do not want to!” Nevertheless, science cannot survive without peer review because it is essential to the building of excellent science. I am the first to admit that careful and thoughtful peer review takes time, and most nurses whether faculty, or students, or clinicians, lack extra time to do a careful peer review. What exactly is peer review? Why should nurses concern themselves with being peer-reviewed or being peer reviewers? Peer review is the process of subjecting materials to the scrutiny of experts in the same field and area of expertise. Peer review is essential to catch errors, either intentional (false information) or inadvertent (not knowledgeable about the latest developments). All scientific disciplines, funding agencies, academic and scientific journals, colleges, and universities, require peer review. In essence, any organization that exists to promote discoveries and advance knowledge will require peer review (Trietsch, 2019). When you volunteer to review a manuscript or a grant, either for a formal organization or for a friend before submission, remember that the main focus of peer review is science. Think about these areas: Does the author demonstrate the validity of the science and do the methods fit the purpose of the science being proposed or described? It is an advantage to also point out for the author any recent publications that also describe the science under review in case the author is not aware of the latest findings. When seen in a broader sense, peer review is like an audit. Organizations want to maintain financial integrity, deliver quality services, meet business requirements at the local, state, and federal levels. The most transparent way to do this is to have outside organizations conduct audits that include processes to deliver services, the quality of services or products, the efficiency of delivery, and the cost per unit of the service/product. Without these careful audits/peer reviews, businesses may not survive. Nearly every organization where a nurse is employed will require peer review of the professional staff, or be required to undergo an organizational peer review, such as a Joint Commission accreditation at least every three years, or more often if standards are not met on an accreditation survey. If the health care organization loses its accreditation, it is at risk of no longer being paid by funders including federal (Medicare), state (Medicaid), or insurance organizations. Similarly, if a funding agency funds a grant that lacks validity and replicability in science to support it, false conclusions about the utility and benefits of the results are the outcomes. If a journal publishes an article based on a flawed study, the journal will soon lose its reputation and desirable status. I find it helpful to think of peer review like any other type of audit done to meet standards and evaluate the quality of the work. You may wonder why I am writing about peer review since many of you are familiar with the process of submitting abstracts, manuscripts, grant proposals, and documents for obtaining a position, promotion, or tenure. As a research-focused society, SNRS conducts peer reviews to award our grants and awards. The roles for peer reviewers at SNRS include service on the Grants Committee. SNRS currently funds the following opportunities for research funding: SNRS Research Grant (for members), STTI/SNRS Grant (for members of both SNRS and STTI), CANS/SNRS Dissertation Research Grant (to support doctoral students in the SNRS region), SNRS Dissertation Research Grant, and SNRS/NLN grant. All proposals submitted for these funding opportunities require three peer reviews per the proposal, thus a robust committee of varied expertise is needed. If you are interested in learning more about contributing to this opportunity to provide peer review, please contact Dr Vicki Loerzel, Director of Grants. An additional venue to contribute to SNRS through volunteering to be a peer reviewer is on the Awards Committee. SNRS recognizes members through a variety of awards. Among them are the D. Jean Wood Award, Excellence in Clinical Research Award, Early Science Investigator Award, Mid-Career Researcher Award, Distinguished Researcher Award, Research in Minority Health Award, and the Research in Nursing and Health Authorship Award. This committee receives multiple nominations for each award and requires peer review of each nominee's accomplishments in relation to award criteria. Dr Susan Fowler is the Director of Awards. SNRS cannot function without the support of all members. There are many ways to contribute and volunteer to serve on committees that require peer review is one of the most important. Thank you for considering this service for your research society.