Peer Review

Request a Peer Review Grant for Any Preprint—and Get Paid

Jonathan Heppner

19 Feb 2025 — 2 min read

ResearchHub pays you for peer reviewing preprints. If you don’t find a peer review grant that suits your expertise or identify a preprint you’d like to review, you can request a grant to be assigned.

Follow these 5 steps to request a grant to review any preprint.

Step 1: Find a preprint.

Identify a recent preprint you'd like to review. ResearchHub automatically uploads preprints from popular servers like bioRxiv, medRxiv, ChemRxiv, and arXiv. If the preprint isn’t on ResearchHub, you can upload it there. To qualify for a grant, please ensure the preprint aligns with your expertise and was published within the last six months.

Step 2: Complete the preprint request form.

After selecting an eligible preprint, complete and sign the Preprint Request Form to apply for a peer review grant. Include:

Your name and email
A link to your ResearchHub profile
The ResearchHub URL of the preprint
The preprint’s field of study

Note: The preprint must have been uploaded to ResearchHub prior to submitting the request form.

Step 3: Wait for the editorial team’s response.

After you submit the Preprint Request Form, the editorial team will review your request. This process may take 3-4 business days.

The editor will evaluate the preprint’s eligibility and decide if a peer review grant can be issued. This decision is final. You will be notified via email, so please ensure your contact information is accurate.

Step 4: Write the peer review.

Once your grant is approved and visible on the preprint, go to the post you want to review. Click the Peer Reviews tab and use the text editor to write your review.

In your review, assess and rate these key aspects:

Overall Impressions: Summarize the key takeaways.
Clarity: Assess the clarity and context of the research question.
Methods and Replicability: Assess if the study design tests the hypothesis effectively and if the procedures are detailed enough for replication.
Results: Confirm if the findings are reasonably interpreted and analyzed.
Discussion: Ensure the paper’s conclusions align with the stated results, and consider alternative interpretations.

Note: Begin writing only after the editor approves and assigns the grant. The editorial team will review your submission before payment. Implement any requested revisions promptly.

For more information, see our step-by-step peer review guide and best practice recommendations for writing quality peer reviews.

Step 5: Receive your Payment.

Upon approval, you’ll receive $150 in ResearchCoin (RSC). Only the top three high-quality reviews per paper, as judged by the editor, earn rewards.

Payment is credited to your ResearchHub account within seven days after the review window closes. The RSC amount depends on its value at distribution: