Scientific publisher hopes new credit scheme will reward and incentivise peer review
Peer reviewers for a leading Royal Society journal will receive a £100 voucher for every paper they assess, which can be used to reduce future publishing costs.
The move towards open access publishing is welcome and, at least theoretically, will make academic literature more democratic. That being said, we have shared commentary recently, that has highlighted that APC fees may result in locking out academics from poor or even middle-income countries. In this context, this move by the Royal Society is incredibly positive. By conducting peer reviews, an individual can earn credits towards future publication fees. Rewarding peer reviewers, while assisting with APC fees is a wonderful move.
From this month, the vouchers can be used in isolation or stacked towards the £1,400cost of publishing, with co-authors able to combine peer review credits to o#set theamount charged to academics or their institutions
The scheme represents the latest effort to recognise and reward the many hours of work spent by scholars on peer review, which is typically unpaid despite often being conducted on behalf of for-profit periodicals.
The move also hopes to address concerns over a shortage of suitable peer reviewers; according to a survey conducted by the Royal Society, 41 per cent of reviewers who had declined the chance to review in recent months said they would be more inclined to do so if discounts on open access were available.
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