Embedded Files
Post date: Jul 8, 2014 12:58:27 PM
Science journalism is very unique, as it is not only based on novelty scoop but also on rigorously tested experiments. Over the years several formats of scientific publication process have evolved which have progressively introduced various processes to ensure quality and reliability. Unfortunately all of these process implemented to date are not free from biasness and have lead to a serious compromise in quality and reliability of scientific publication which is slowly moving towards a burgeoning epidemic of infollution. Alarmingly infollution is prevalent across scientific journals of all domains and nature. It is necessary to control this infollution to avoid scientific catastrophe.
While the peer-review system was initially seen as a promising approach however it is a highly biased system and doesn’t meet the requirement and speed of current generation science journalism. Hence to address this challenge we are introducing a new process of Open Review System (ORS) to rehydrate the scientific review process to bring in transparency and unbiased publication (Figure 1). It is essential to develop such new systems of quality assurance to overcome the limitations of peer-review system and avoid peer-review flaws, two of which are lack of transparency and extensive biasness. The collateral damage of biasness and lack of transparency is extensively evident in science journalism in the form of retracted manuscripts, over-interpreted studies and conclusions not adequately supported by rigorous/valid experiments. All of these can have serious impact on progression of knowledge and science.
The novel ORS, which we are introducing, is graphically represented in figure 1. This system will be implemented for the first time in our flagship journal Biology, Engineering, Medicine and Science Reports (BEMS Reports, www.bemsreports.org). All manuscripts submitted to the journal will be accepted and published online within 48 hours, following a declaration of originality, honesty, authenticity and validity by the authors. The manuscript will be assigned a temporary ID and will be available for anybody to make comment on all aspects of the manuscript. The declaration of originality, honesty, authenticity and validity (DOHAV) is also a new concept, which will be an improved and extended version of the currently used copyright form adopted by all journals. We think the authors are the best judges of the rigorousness and authenticity of the work presented and hence we are imparting this necessary responsibility with the authors by asking them to sign DOHAV before the publication of their manuscript. All manuscript will remain in the ORS process for 4 months (which we believe is an adequate time for global audience to comment on the manuscript) following, which an editorial decision will be made to either modify the manuscript or accept it for publication with a permanent ID/DOI. We envisage introduction of ORS and DOHAV will have following two major advantages. 1) The delay in manuscripts appearing in public domain following submission to the journal will be considerably reduced to < 48 hours. 2) Our system will eliminate the biasness from the review process and increase transparency in science journalism.
Figure 1: Manuscript publication by Open Review Process: A New Paradigm.
Original article published in Journal of Natural Science Biology and Medicine (www.jnsbm.org): Kumar AH. Open review system: The new trend in scientific reviewing to improve transparency and overcome biasness. J Nat Sc Biol Med [serial online] 2014 [cited 2014 Jul 8];5:231-2. Available from: http://www.jnsbm.org/text.asp?2014/5/2/231/136134
About the Author:
Arun Kumar, a leader who has many titles.
www.twitter.com/mak2012se
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse