WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2015 47 Peer review is the process used by editors of academic journals of having independent scientists (peer reviewers) evaluate manuscripts submitted for publication. A successful peer review of a manuscript leads to its acceptance and publication, while an unsuccessful peer review leads to its rejection and therefore no publication. Peer review is an important way to spread significant advances in knowledge among scientists because quality of the overall scientific work, presentation of research and results, and novelty of findings are validated by peers prior to publication. Publishers of academic journals have produced electronic documents and videos that explain general concepts related to the peerreview process and present general expectations of reviewers by the publisher. In addition, Blackwell Publishing has produced a book dealing with guidelines for good practice in peer review (Hames 2007). Although this general information is readily available to the public, especially to authors and reviewers, specific peer-review requirements of a particular scientific discipline are scarce in the scientific literature (Babor et al. 2008). For instance, there is currently no published document that informs aquaculture scientists on how to perform a manuscript review. Hence, lessexperienced or younger aquaculture scientists with specialized knowledge might decline an invitation to review a manuscript because they do not know exactly how to do it. Moreover, upon accepting an invitation to review an aquaculture manuscript, the lack of training about peer review and the lack of available specific reviewer guidelines in aquaculture science may lead to an inadequate “one-sentence” review occasionally made by some peer reviewers. The objective of this article is to equip aquaculture scientists and students with guidelines to effectively evaluate manuscripts Toward the Professionalization of Aquaculture: Serving as Peer Reviewer for an Academic Aquaculture Journal Rodrigue Yossa when they are invited to serve as a peer reviewer for academic journals. I start with a description of the peer-review process and then present the principles of manuscript review in aquaculture research. Finally I provide the qualities sought in a peer reviewer. The Peer-review Process The peer-review process (Fig. 1) involves direct and indirect interactions between authors of a manuscript, the journal’s editorial board, peer reviewers and the journal publisher. The publisher owns the journal and publishes accepted manuscripts. The editor-in-chief, who manages the journal and makes final decisions on manuscripts, is selected on the basis of their expertise, experience and reputation in aquaculture research. Associate editors are selected by the editor-inchief on the basis of expertise in specific subjects that constitute the scope of the journal such as aquatic physiology, larviculture and live foods, aquaculture nutrition and water quality. The editor-in-chief selects as many associate editors as needed so that members of the editorial board cover all subjects within the journal’s scope. In general, the editor-in-chief and one associate editor handle each manuscript. However, in certain cases, such as invited manuscripts, the editor-in-chief may handle a manuscript alone; as such, the editor-in-chief also functions as an associate editor. Associate editors, who manage and make a recommendation on individual manuscripts, select and invite peer reviewers on behalf of the journal. Peer reviewers, also called referees, are anonymous, eminent scientists familiar with the subject presented in a submitted manuscript and who can provide thoughtful critiques on the manuscript. FIGURE 1. Schematic representation of the peer-review process using an electronic manuscript management system. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 48)
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