Peer Reviewing on ResearchHub
ResearchHub’s mission is to accelerate the pace of science. We believe one way to accomplish this is through financially incentivizing open peer reviews with ResearchCoin (RSC). Peer Reviews on ResearchHub are permissionless and don’t require approval to complete. This guide will walk you through signing up, finding papers with peer review grants, writing peer reviews, and receiving compensation. Follow these 4 easy steps to complete a peer review and earn RSC in return.
1. Sign Up
- Visit ResearchHub: Click the “Sign Up” button in the top right corner.
- Register: Enter your email address OR register using your existing Google account.
- Complete Your Profile: Fill in information such as your headline, education, social media links, (LinkedIn, X) and ORCID.
- [REQUIRED] Identity Verification and Publication Import: To enhance the credibility and visibility of your contributions, please verify your identity on the ResearchHub platform. Additionally, you can easily import your publications using our streamlined workflow, ensuring your profile accurately reflects your scholarly work. Be sure to claim rewards on your recent open-access papers too!
- Explore and Contribute: Begin exploring papers, participating in academic discussions, and contributing peer reviews.
2. Finding Preprints to Review
On ResearchHub, you can review any preprint of your choice by browsing existing preprints that are automatically uploaded from popular preprint servers (i.e. biorxiv, medrxiv, chemrxiv, arxiv, etc).
- Browse New Preprints
- ResearchHub automatically pulls in new preprints as they become public.
- Search for Grants
- Option 1: Search the grants page and filter by your preferences to find papers with open opportunities for paid peer review.
- Option 2: View the list of current open grants.
- Option 3: Submit a request to review a preprint of your choice. The editorial team will review all submissions; pre-approval is required.
3. Writing a Peer Review
- Do I Need Approval to Peer Review? No! Peer reviewing does not require any permission to complete. Review of all peer reviews is performed by our editors to verify quality before payment is disbursed.
- Use In-line Comments (optional): If the paper PDF license allows, you may use in-line comments to link your thoughts to specific parts of the paper.
- Navigate the Paper’s Page: Explore the tabs: Paper, Conversation, Grants, and Peer Reviews.
- Note: We recommend writing your review in a different text editor and pasting them in when you’re ready.
- Start Writing Your Review: Use the text box on the Peer Reviews tab. Organize your review using the provided rating boxes: Overall Rating, Methods, Impact, Results and Discussion. Be sure to assign a star rating for each.
- Be Professional and Constructive: Your reviews are visible to everyone, including the authors. Provide professional and constructive feedback.
- AI in Peer Review: Reviews written with the use of AI are strictly prohibited! It’s your perspective as a scientist that makes the peer reviews valuable, so please write it in your own voice.
Unified Recommendations for Peer Reviewers
These recommendations list expectations from our editorial team to peer reviewers regarding individual sections of the peer review process. Additionally, they serve as a tool to eliminate bias and enhance the quality of peer reviewers recruited and reviews submitted to improve visibility among the scientific community and increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the editors.
4. Receiving Payment
- Payment Timeline: Payment is typically made within 7 days depending on editors’ turnaround time or if any modifications are requested of you as the reviewer.
- Please note that our editorial team performs manual quality review checks on all peer reviews.
- Payment Amount: You will always receive $150 in ResearchCoin (RSC) at the time of distribution regardless of the price of RSC paid directly to your ResearchHub account.
- For example, If RSC = $1, you will receive 150 RSC, if RSC = $.10, you will receive 1500 RSC. This is why you may see various amounts of RSC per review.
- Using RSC: We encourage users to use RSC on our platform to fund research, sponsor grants, tip users, and pay for DOIs.
- Converting RSC to Cash: If you would like to convert RSC to cash, (i.e. USD or other currencies) you can follow our walkthrough guide and blog post.
What Makes a Peer Review Outstanding?
- Be Specific: Peer reviews that go into the details are much more valuable than a general review. Elaborate on the specific figures or discussion points, link to other relevant research, alternative methods, or suggest future experiments.
- Transparency: Be honest about your expertise and acknowledge any areas where you’re uncertain.
- Critical but Constructive: Be thorough and critical, but offer constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement.
- Rigor: Address serious issues thoroughly, but constructively.
- We highly recommend you view these examples of great peer reviews before beginning
- Peer Review #1: Scarless circular mRNA-based CAR-T cell therapy elicits superior anti-tumor efficacy
- Reviewers: Leonardo Chicaybam, Mureed Hussain, and Faustina Sackey
- Peer Review #2: Muscle Fibroblasts and Stem Cells Stimulate Motor Neurons in An Age and Exercise-Dependent Manner
- Reviewers: Michael Kluppel, Pedro Gomes, Rami Najjar
- Peer Review #3: Microplastics as a Novel Substrate for Antimicrobial resistance: Effects of Concentration, Composition, and Size on E. coli Multidrug Resistance
- Reviewers: Rituparna Saha, Ilhan Altinok, Roger Lawrie
- Peer Review #1: Scarless circular mRNA-based CAR-T cell therapy elicits superior anti-tumor efficacy
Who Can I Contact with Questions?
Weekly Orientation Sessions
Please join our weekly Orientation sessions where we discuss the ResearchHub
platform, the peer review process, and answer any questions you may have.
- Tuesdays and Fridays: 11:00 AM PST
- Thursdays: 10:00 AM CET
- Meeting link: https://meet.google.com/jww-ndus-kcr
Contacts
Maulik Dhandha, Editor in Chief (maulik.editor@researchhub.foundation)
Arshia Malek, Vice President of Operations (arshia@researchhub.foundation)
Additional Information
Certificate of Peer Review
If you’re interested in receiving a certificate from ResearchHub, please email support@researchhub.foundation.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy
Learn about ResearchHub's guidelines on AI use to maintain the authenticity and integrity of our platform. View our AI Policy.
FAQ
What is RSC and how can I use it?
- Learn more about what RSC is and its functions in our guide.
Can I convert my RSC into cash (i.e. USD or other currencies)?
- Yes! Follow our guide if you need assistance (starting on page 10)
Which preprints can I receive $150 for reviewing?
- Preprint that have a grant assigned by the ResearchHub Foundation.
How much RSC do I earn for a peer review?
- You will receive $150 worth of RSC at the time of distribution for completing a thorough review, as deemed by our team of editors.
- The top 3 highest quality reviews per preprint will receive payment.
- All decisions by the editorial team on payments are final.
Can I submit a review on a preprint even though it already has multiple peer reviews?
- Yes. Each grant has a 14-day submission window where the grant is open. The top 3 highest-quality peer reviews will be eligible for the grant.
When can I expect payment?
- Payment is made within 7 days after the peer review grant submission window closes.
How much RSC do I earn for a peer review?
- You will receive $150 worth of RSC at the time of distribution for completing a thorough review, as deemed by our team of editors.
Can I complete more than one peer review?
- Yes! We will award a grant for every high-quality peer review you complete.
How many peer reviews can be on a preprint?
- Currently, there is no limit.
Is ResearchHub a journal?
- ResearchHub is not currently acting as a journal. We source existing open-access preprints from preprint servers because we aim to promote open science.
Can I get a certificate that verifies my peer review contribution?
- Yes, if you’d like a certificate from ResearchHub please contact support@researchhub.foundation and we will provide you with a personalized certificate, free of charge.
Does the paper’s author see my review?
- ResearchHub focuses on maximizing the openness of all science. All peer reviews are public and can be viewed by the author of the preprint.
What is a preprint?
- A preprint is a complete or partially complete version of a manuscript that is shared before journal publication or peer review.
- Some examples include: Biorxiv, Researchsquare, Preprints.org, etc.
Can I list my ResearchHub peer review as an accomplishment on my resume or CV, similar to a traditional journal review?
- Yes, we encourage reviewers to highlight their peer review accomplishments on their LinkedIn, resume, and CV.
Does this cost anything to the author of the preprint?
- No, currently the peer reviewers’ compensation is subsidized by ResearchHub Foundation in an effort to incentivize open science and increase the pace of science.