MERIT (Manuscript Evaluation Reflecting Intrinsic Tenets): A Framework for Efficient and Equitable Academic Peer Review

Abstract

Peer review is a cornerstone of academic integrity and rigor in research dissemination. This process, bridging knowledge creation and publication, demands considerable time and effort from content creators, reviewers, and editors. Peer review often entails multiple iterations across various journals, requiring hundreds of hours of commitment and often leading to frustration. However, this investment can be fruitful, enhancing manuscript quality, correcting errors, and ensuring appropriate audience targeting. Collectively, peer review consumes millions of hours and incurs billions in costs, largely borne by funding agencies and governments. This scenario raises critical questions about optimizing the process and the potential impact of reviewer education on efficiency and outcomes. Surprisingly, formal training for reviewers is scarce across undergraduate and graduate programs globally. Learning is predominantly informal, through mentorship or personal experience. Journals typically offer minimal guidance, relying on basic questions and rankings to assist editors. It is quite remarkable that such a loosely structured approach for peer review, with minimal guidance, is the norm for a process of great consequence. The outcomes of peer reviews can delay publications for years, significantly impact careers, and influence decisions on grants and promotions. This course introduces novel tools and concepts to refine the peer review process: 1) The “Main Result Justification Sheet,” created to make reviews more efficient and transparent for readers; 2) “Publicon,” a term inspired by the fundamental units of quantum physics such as the photon, representing the minimum quantum of information necessary to advance a field and merit publication in a peer-reviewed journal; and 3) A MERIT-based peer review model (Manuscript Evaluation Reflecting Intrinsic Tenets), outlining new guidelines that base acceptance solely on the intrinsic merits of the manuscript, with assessments of potential audience engagement and distribution determined subsequently. A key innovation of the MERIT-based model is the separation of the peer-review process from the distribution of the manuscript. Once a manuscript is validated through independent peer review, its distribution becomes a separate consideration. Authors or independent platforms can disseminate validated work efficiently, whether through evolving forms of what we currently call journals or social media. This separation ensures that the focus remains on the quality of the research itself, rather than on the prestige of the distributing entity. This course is designed to provide a structured framework to academic peer review with the goal of elevating quality, fostering equity, and minimizing bias. The course includes interactive sections with open-ended and multiple choice questions to stimulate thought and understanding. This course is designed for both novices and seasoned reviewers, aiming to refine their skills and adapt to specific academic fields.