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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2022; 49(04): 538-542
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1744413
Clinical Practice and Education
Review Article

Ten Tips for Performing Your First Peer Review: The Next Step for the Aspiring Academic Plastic Surgeon

Martin Frendø 
1   Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation, Center for HR & Education, Region H, Copenhagen, Denmark
2   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
,
Andreas Frithioff
1   Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation, Center for HR & Education, Region H, Copenhagen, Denmark
2   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
,
Steven Arild Wuyts Andersen 
1   Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation, Center for HR & Education, Region H, Copenhagen, Denmark
2   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Abstract

Performing the first peer review of a plastic surgical research article can be an overwhelming task. However, it is an essential scholarly skill and peer review is used in a multitude of settings: evaluation of journal articles, conference abstracts, and research proposals. Furthermore, peer reviewing provides more than just the opportunity to read and help improve other's work: peer reviewing can improve your own scientific writing. A structured approach is possible and recommended.

In these ten tips, we provide guidance on how to successfully conduct the first peer reviews. The ten tips on peer reviewing concern: 1) Appropriateness: are you qualified and prepared to perform the peer review? 2) Familiarization with the journal and its reviewing guidelines; 3) Gathering first impressions of the paper followed by specific tips for reviewing; 4) the abstract and introduction; 5) Materials, methods, and results (including statistical considerations); and 6) discussion, conclusion, and references. Tip 7 concerns writing and structuring the review; Tips 7 and 8 describe how to provide constructive criticism and understanding the limits of your expertise. Finally, Tip 10 details why—and how—you become a peer reviewer. Peer review can be done by any plastic surgeon, not just those interested in an academic career. These ten tips provide useful insights for both the aspiring and the experienced peer reviewer. In conclusion, a systematic approach to peer reviewing is possible and recommended, and can help you getting started to provide quality peer reviews that contribute to moving the field of plastic surgery forward.

Keywords

peer review - continuing medical education - plastic surgery

Author Contributions

Conceptualization: M.F., A.F., S.A.W.A. Data curation: A.F., S.A.W.A. Formal analysis: S.A.W.A. Methodology: M.F., A.F., S.A.W.A. Project administration: M.F., A.F., S.A.W.A. Writing - original draft: M.F., A.F., S.A.W.A. Writing - review & editing: M.F., A.F., S.A.W.A.




Publication History

Article published online:
30 July 2022

© 2022. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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