Should Authors be Requested to Suggest Peer Reviewers?

Area of Science:

• Scholarly publishing ethics
• Scientific integrity
• Research integrity

Background:

• Traditional peer review faces challenges impacting trust in science.
• Flawed peer review processes can introduce bias.
• Loss of trust is a significant issue in the current scientific landscape.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the ethics, fairness, and validity of authors suggesting peer reviewers.
• To explore potential for abuse in author-suggested peer review.
• To assess if mandatory reviewer suggestions violate authors' rights.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of the author-reviewer suggestion process.
• Ethical and validity assessment of journal submission policies.
• Examination of potential conflicts of interest and bias introduction.

Main Results:

• Author-suggested peer review introduces potential for bias and manipulation.
• Relying on author suggestions can undermine the impartiality of peer review.
• Mandatory reviewer suggestions, without opt-out, may compromise authors' rights.

Conclusions:

• The practice of authors suggesting peer reviewers requires ethical scrutiny.
• Journals should avoid mandatory reviewer suggestion policies to uphold fairness.
• Protecting the integrity of peer review is crucial for scientific trust.