How does Scholar9 ensure transparency in the peer review process?

Scholar9 is designed to enhance openness, accountability, and fairness in scholarly publishing through a structured transparent peer review system. It integrates advanced features and ethical practices to ensure a clear and unbiased review process.

1. Open Peer Review Features

• Publicly Accessible Reviewer Reports
• Review comments, editor decisions, and author responses can be made available for readers.
• Enhances credibility by allowing the research community to assess the review process.
• Reviewer Identity Disclosure (Optional)
• Reviewers can choose to reveal their names, ensuring accountability in critiques.
• Supports recognition of high-quality reviews while protecting anonymity where needed.
• Publication of Reviewer Comments
• Review reports may be published alongside the final article to promote openness.
• Readers can evaluate the rigor of the peer review process.

2. Ethical and Conflict of Interest (COI) Management

• Automated COI Detection
• Uses AI-based algorithms to flag potential conflicts based on co-authorships, institutional affiliations, and past collaborations.
• Ensures impartial evaluations and prevents biased decision-making.
• Mandatory COI Declarations for Reviewers & Editors
• Reviewers must disclose any conflicts before accepting assignments.
• Editors oversee COI disclosures to maintain an ethical review process.

3. Real-Time Review Tracking & Workflow Transparency

• Author Visibility on Review Progress
• Authors can track their manuscript's status at every stage (e.g., review assigned, review in progress, decision pending).
• Reduces uncertainty and improves communication between authors, editors, and reviewers.
• Integration with OJSCloud for Streamlined Workflows
• End-to-end review management ensures a seamless, real-time peer review experience.
• Automates editorial workflows, making the process efficient and traceable.

4. Review Integrity and Research Validation

• Plagiarism & Similarity Checks (Turnitin/iThenticate)
• Ensures originality before peer review, maintaining research integrity.
• Open Data and Methodology Sharing
• Authors can link datasets to repositories like Zenodo and Dryad to support transparency in research findings.
• Promotes reproducibility and validation of results.

5. Reviewer Recognition & Accountability

• ORCID & Publons Integration
• Reviewers can claim credit for their work, linking their peer reviews to ORCID and Publons profiles.
• Encourages high-quality and ethical reviewing practices.
• Transparent Editorial Decision-Making
• Editors provide detailed justifications for manuscript decisions, ensuring fair evaluations.
• Reduces biases and maintains trust in the peer review process.

Conclusion

Scholar9—integrated with OJSCloud—ensures a fully transparent, accountable, and ethical peer review process through open review reports, AI-driven COI detection, real-time tracking, and reviewer recognition. These features foster trust, improve research integrity, and set a new standard in scholarly publishing.