As Peer Review Week kicks off, STM is excited to announce the launch of the Peer Review Terminology website—a new resource designed to bring greater clarity, consistency, and transparency to the peer review process. Created through a partnership between STM and NISO, this initiative reflects our shared mission to enhance scholarly communication and streamline research practices.
Why Peer Review Terminology Matters
At its core, Peer Review Terminology serves a vital purpose: it standardizes the language and definitions used in peer review processes across the publishing ecosystem. In an era in which transparency and openness are more critical than ever, particularly with the rise of open peer review, this kind of consistency helps all stakeholders—authors, reviewers, editors, and readers—to engage with greater confidence and clarity.
By formalizing a common terminology, the project enhances transparency and allows the community to better assess and compare practices between journals. The end result is a more efficient and trustworthy peer review system, advancing the quality and reliability of scholarly research. Standardizing peer review language also accelerates innovation by helping stakeholders communicate clearly.
A Model of Collaboration
The partnership between STM and NISO demonstrates how diverse organizations can come together to solve complex challenges in research communication. Together, we developed a peer review standard, formalized as ANSI/NISO Z39.106-2023, Standard Terminology for Peer Review in July 2023, which we are now actively promoting across the publishing community.
“The launch of Peer Review Terminology is a significant achievement that reflects the power of collaboration between organizations like STM and NISO,” says Caroline Sutton, CEO of STM. “We are united in our commitment to enhancing the transparency and consistency of the peer review process. By standardizing the language of peer review, we’re building trust and improving the overall quality of scholarly communication.”
Key Features of the Peer Review Terminology Website
- Standard Terminology: A collection of definitions used in articulating the processes involved in the majority of peer review models (including most open review models), and covering four core elements: identity transparency, reviewer interactions, published review process information, and post-publication commenting. Although initially focused on journal articles, this standard has the potential to expand to other types of research outputs such as books, preprints, and data.
- Adopter Dashboard: Documentation of the growing number of publishers implementing the peer review terminology, i.e. it being adopted in all places where the publishers communicate about review models used in journals. This feature illustrates where the standards are being adopted across the industry, giving a clear picture of progress.
- 5 Steps to Get Started: A clear, user-friendly guide outlining five steps publishers can take to implement the peer review terminology within their processes. This roadmap ensures that even publishers at the beginning of their journey can quickly start aligning with the standard.
Join Us in shaping the future of Peer Review
As Peer Review Week begins, there’s no better time to explore the new Peer Review Terminology website and join the growing list of adopters who are helping shape the future of peer review.
