Jessica Tollkuhn
question for PIs: how many manuscripts do you review in a month? related: what fraction of your requests do you accept?
Jun 28, 2023 at 9:37pmWeb
Show threadBruce HamiltonJun 29, 2023
@tollkuhn
Highly variable. If it’s for a journal I trust on a topic in my wheelhouse then I usually take it —unless I am too swamped to get to it in reasonable time.
Show threadJessica TollkuhnJun 29, 2023
@bahome on Tuesday I got 3 requests in 6 hours. I haven’t replied to any of them yet. Once was from a journal I turned down two weeks ago because I was already reviewing 2 others.
Show threadBruce HamiltonJun 29, 2023
@tollkuhn
Yeah, 3 a day is too much. Price of fame, superstar.
Show threadJessica TollkuhnJun 29, 2023
@bahome lol not quite. if that were true i’d have more lab members to help me with them!
Show threadDavid SchoppikJun 29, 2023
@tollkuhn 1 at most, I accept most. It was a weird month b/c I turned down 3 that hit w/in a week b/c grant sub deadline / travel. Said "yes" to #4.
Show threadJessica TollkuhnJun 29, 2023
@schoppik I submitted one Friday and got a request for another one Saturday, and then 3 more on Tuesday. All different journals. And I did ad hoc study section today! I think I need to say no to everything for awhile?
Show threadSpencer LaVere SmithJun 29, 2023
@tollkuhn @schoppik Definitely say no when you need to. No one can do that for you. And there’s no mechanism for rewarding or compensating you when you review extra. The fact that you are even concerned about saying “no” indicates that you probably say “yes” enough already. It’s nice when you can suggest alternative qualified reviewers, especially those that the editor maybe didn’t think of, and are maybe from underrepresented groups.
Show threadDavid SchoppikJun 29, 2023
@sls good call -- as an editor it's *so helpful* when people suggest alternative reviewers.
Show threadJessica TollkuhnJun 29, 2023
@sls @schoppik yeah i already suggest alternates. just wondering if i am lazy and it is normal to have 1-2 manuscript reviews on one's plate at all times.
Show threadSpencer LaVere SmithJun 30, 2023
@tollkuhn @schoppik It should vary by field. My rule of thumb is to review at least 1x, maybe 3x or more, of the times I send stuff out for peer review. I think there is room to improve peer review, but it's the system we have now, and I want to be a good citizen of the community. I say "yes" quickly when I get manuscripts that I know I can review quickly. Sometimes you can predict the main figures and caveats right after reading the abstract. If it's that much up-my-alley, then I say "yes" quickly because I know I can probably review it faster than most other people and this way I'm doing my part quickly and maybe overall saving the community time.
Show threadJohn TuthillJun 29, 2023
@tollkuhn i started keeping track last year. averaged 1.6 papers/month and accepted ~1/3 of requests.
Show threadJessica TollkuhnJun 30, 2023
@tuthill this is an excellent data point, thank you!