Infographic: When should you consider saying 'no' to a peer review request?

Peer review is central to scholarly publishing. As gatekeepers of academic publishing, peer reviewers shoulder the huge responsibility of weeding out questionable research and improving the quality of science that reaches publication. As journal submission volumes continue to rise every year, the number of review requests going out to peer reviewers is also increasing. Reviewers often find themselves swamped with multiple review requests at a time. While accepting peer review requests can boost a researcher’s reputation and career progress, it is important to understand that, at times, turning down a request may be a better decision. This infographic presents a few situations in which you should consider declining a review request or at least inform the editor about it and then take a call.

Feel free to download a PDF version of this infographic and print it out as handy reference.

Related reading:

• Peer review process and editorial decision making at journals
• Why peer reviewers refuse review requests