The module is displayed in the ‘article information’ section. It tells readers if the article went through single or double-blind peer review; the number of revisions before publication, and if it has been checked for originality.
Kim Eggleton, senior managing editor at IOP Publishing, said: “The science community told us that this is information they are keen to have available. It adds some transparency to the peer review process, and crucially helps boost the readers’ confidence in published research. We’re proud of the rigorous and robust peer review we do at IOP, and support the wishes of the research community to be more open about the peer review that’s been performed on each article.”
IOP Publishing says it surveyed more than 11,500 researchers, and a clear majority said they wanted to know if a paper they were reading had been peer reviewed.
Many researchers also indicated it is helpful to see the number of revisions, if an originality check has been done, and the peer review method.
Ms Eggleton added: “We’re pleased to be among the first publishers to make this information available on our articles, which goes beyond the latest Committee on Publication Ethics’ (COPE) transparency guidelines.”
The data is available for articles in all IOP Publishing-owned journals.
