The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has awarded EMBO a grant to support the operation and development of Review Commons, the journal-independent peer review platform launched in 2019 by EMBO and ASAPbio. The grant secures the ongoing ability of Review Commons to operate at no cost to authors while allowing the project team to further promote the use of refereed preprints and expand the reach of the platform.
15 February 2022 – The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has awarded EMBO a grant to support the operation and development of Review Commons, the journal-independent peer review platform launched in 2019 by EMBO and ASAPbio. The grant secures the ongoing ability of Review Commons to operate at no cost to authors while allowing the project team to further promote the use of refereed preprints and expand the reach of the platform.
Review Commons provides expert peer review of preprint articles submitted to the platform by their authors. Reviews obtained by Review Commons can be publicly posted with the authors’ response alongside the related preprints, giving immediate and transparent access to the scientific debate generated by new findings and added reassurance that the reported research has undergone expert evaluation. Furthermore, 17 journals, including those published by EMBO Press, PLOS, the Company of Biologists as well as eLife, Molecular Biology of the Cell and Journal of Cell Biology, collaborate with Review Commons to accelerate formal publication by reusing preprint peer reviews rather than starting the peer review process afresh.
“We are pleased to support the development of Review Commons to promote the peer review of preprints as an efficient and transparent way of disseminating new research,” says Erin O’Shea, HHMI President, “The COVID-19 epidemic has shown the world the importance of rapid communication of scientific research but also the importance of securing trust in the quality of the disseminated research. The Review Commons platform is contributing towards this goal.”
“Our vision for Review Commons is a platform that accelerates public access to rigorously peer-reviewed research and increases the efficiency of the publishing process,” says Fiona Watt, EMBO Director. The HHMI award will support the continued operation of Review Commons and its expansion to serve a broader community, including fields such as neurosciences and immunology. “We will continue to work closely with our affiliate journals to optimize the efficiency of formal publishing.” adds Thomas Lemberger, Review Commons Project Lead at EMBO, “We will also implement policies to establish the systematic posting of peer reviews with preprints and work towards their recognition by funders and institutions as bona fide academic research output.”
“Review Commons has proven to be a successful experiment,” says Jessica Polka, Review Commons Project Lead at ASAPbio, “and with this grant from HHMI, I’m excited to see it scale up to drive the fast and transparent communication of scientific results.”
About Review Commons
Review Commons is a platform for high-quality journal-independent peer-review of preprints in the life sciences. BioRxiv or medRxiv preprints reviewed by Review Commons can be transferred to 17 affiliated journals for editorial consideration without starting the peer review process afresh. The peer review process is managed by the Review Commons and EMBO Press editorial teams.
For more information: www.reviewcommons.org
About EMBO
EMBO is an organization of more than 1,800 leading researchers that promotes excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. The goals of the organization are to support talented researchers at all stages of their careers, stimulate the exchange of scientific information, and help build a research environment where scientists can achieve their best work.
EMBO helps young scientists to advance their research, promote their international visibility and ensure their mobility. Courses, workshops, conferences and scientific journals disseminate the latest research and offer training in techniques to maintain high standards of excellence in research practice. EMBO helps to shape science and research policy by seeking input and feedback from our community and by following closely the trends in science in Europe.
For more information: www.embo.org
https://www.embo.org/press-releases/howard-hughes-medical-institute-funds-the-pr...
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