How to review a paper

Reviewing papers—the process of evaluating a piece of research to determine if it’s worthy of being published in a journal—doesn't always come naturally to researchers. Many worry about investing excessive time while aiming to deliver a fair and appreciated review, both by authors and journals. Enrolling in a paper reviewing course is essential, providing researchers with the tools to evaluate and offer constructive feedback on academic work efficiently. Acquiring these skills not only bolsters effective contributions to one's field but also ensures rigorous peer review, fostering quality research dissemination and advancing the scholarly community.

This self-paced e-learning course will instruct you on paper reviewing for international peer-reviewed journals. You'll acquire the essential background knowledge to excel in this skill, coupled with a straightforward roadmap to follow during the reviewing process.Throughout the course, you'll grasp how to craft a review report and efficiently complete review tasks, eliminating the need for extended time commitments. 

Who benefits most?

Early-career researchers, first-time reviewers, and any researchers seeking to enhance their reviewing skills or reduce the time required for completing review assignments will benefit from this course. Prior reviewing experience is not necessary. Ideally, you can undertake this course while preparing to review a journal paper, enabling direct application of the gained knowledge to your reviewing task.

Contents

The course is split into two parts:

Part 01 provides essential background knowledge about the peer-review process, covering lessons such as:

• What is peer-review?
• Review types and actors
• How does the peer-review process work?
• How are reviewers selected?
• Why conduct peer-review?
• How much time to spend on peer-review?
• Review ethics
• How to become a reviewer?
• What journal editors expect from reviewers and what not

Part 02 provides an easy-to-apply roadmap for how to review a paper covering lessons such as:

• Workflow to review a paper
• Overview of review criteria
• Reviewing the paper
• Writing the comments and recommendation
• Second review round

Provided learning materials

The course comprises numerous short video lessons covering each step of the peerreview process, guiding learners through the review task incrementally. Furthermore, supplementary resources, such as a sample review sheet and a review guide outlining the course's essential steps, are included.

How is it taught?

This self-paced course is designed for you to engage with at your convenience. Instead of adhering to a specific schedule, you can navigate the course content whenever it suits you. Each individual lesson is concise, focusing on a single aspect for learners to master or comprehend before progressing. Many lessons conclude with exercises designed to facilitate the completion of review tasks. The significant advantage of this on-demand approach is that you can promptly undertake the course when invited to review a paper, enabling the immediate application of knowledge from the lessons.

Participation information

The course is hosted on the e-learning platform byTRESS ACADEMIC GbR, accessible via desktop and mobile devices with internet connectivity.

After successful registration and payment of your participation fee, you will receive access to the video and the accompanying materials. After the start, you will have 6 months to complete the course.

PLEASE NOTE: Course access will be available starting January 1, 2026. But you may register in advance.