Dear subscribers,
As the year draws to a close, we’d like to invite you to three events about the emerging role of peer review on preprints.
At the ASCB|EMBO annual meeting, we’re hosting an event around the general topic of peer review on preprints and how it can be used by journals, institutions, and others. ASCB registration is required to attend.
Review Commons, a journal-independent peer review service developed in collaboration with EMBO, will launch next month. You’re invited to two events (one physical, one virtual) to discuss the service and celebrate the launch. RSVPs are required for both Review Commons events – please register today!
Reimagining Peer Review in a World of Preprints (ASCB|EMBO meeting event)
When: Monday, December 9, 2019 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM (EST) (Correction: an earlier version of this post listed the event as running from 3:00 to 4:00 pm).
Where: Theater 4, Exhibit Hall B | ASCB meeting (Walter Washington Convention Center) | Washington, DC
Peer review plays essential roles in improving, validating, and curating scientific work. Today, many journals, societies, startups, and grassroots groups are developing innovative experiments to improve the way that peer review functions in the context of preprints. These include preprint journal clubs, more formal open peer review, and venues for curating and highlight work. The session will kick off with a brief overview of innovative projects in this space, followed by comments from funders, university leaders, and researchers about how these new forms of peer review can 1) help researchers improve their science, 2) point readers to interesting and valuable work, and 3) inform funder and university evaluation. We’ll close with an open, facilitated discussion that will allow attendees to share their questions, concerns, and ideas.
Speakers will include:
- Victoria Yan, ReimagineReview Coordinator, ASAPbio
- Veronique Kiermer, Publisher & Executive Editor, PLOS
- Boyana Konforti, Director, Scientific Strategy & Development, HHMI
- Jonah Cool, Science Program Officer, CZI
- Anna Hatch, Program Director, DORA
- Shawn Ferguson, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and of Neuroscience, Yale University
ASCB registration is required to attend.
Review Commons community meeting (during the ASCB|EMBO annual meeting)

When: Monday, December 9, 2019 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM (EST)
Where: Marriott Marquis Washington, DC | 901 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest | Washington, DC 20001
We invite affiliate journal representatives (current and prospective), academic board members, and interested authors and reviewers to join us for discussion and networking with others working to bring Review Commons to fruition. We will share the goals and values driving the project and provide updates on its workflow, academic editorial board, and how we’ll evaluate the platform’s impact. We invite your questions and ideas for the trial phase and beyond. After the meeting, we’ll consolidate what we learn in a public summary that will help inform our next steps.
While the meeting is adjacent to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, ASCB registration is not required to attend.
Presentations and discussions will be followed by a reception with light refreshments.
ASAPbio community call: Review Commons
When: Tuesday, December 17, 2019 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (EST)
Where: Online event
Attend this open call to learn more about Review Commons, a new journal-independent platform that peer-reviews research papers before submission to a journal. Video conferencing details will be sent by email to all registrants, so please sign up by the end of December 16.
Roundup
- PLOS trial sending editors relevant comments on submissions preprinted at bioRxiv (2019-11-21)
- eLife to offer open peer review on bioRxiv preprints (2019-11-07)
- bioRxiv releases information on the server’s practices and usage so far and provides an API (2019-11-07)
- In Review service by ResearchSquare now available for all BMC journals and some SpringerNature titles (2019-11-05)
Want to receive these newsletters in your inbox? Subscribe here.