Peer review in journals indexed in Index Medicus
L. A. Colaianni
National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md 20894.
OBJECTIVE--To determine whether peer review policies are published in
English-language journals indexed in Index Medicus and, secondarily, to
obtain information on the peer review practices of such journals.
DESIGN--Examined one issue of a sample of all journal titles written in
English and indexed in Index Medicus, and all indexed English-language
journals in four subject fields. A questionnaire was sent to the editors of
journals in the subject fields requesting information on their peer review
practices. SETTING--Journals received at the National Library of Medicine.
PARTICIPANTS--Editors of journals in four subject fields. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURE--Existence of a printed statement of the peer review process for
manuscripts. RESULTS--Although the editors queried in the four subject
fields indicated that overall, 56% to 65% of the articles were peer
reviewed, clear statements about their peer review practices were not found
in half of their journals or in the overall sample. CONCLUSIONS--Editors
should publish clear statements of the peer review process followed for
each type of article published in their journals.
