2020 SAGE Elite Reviewer Award

Recognizing excellent reviewers

The SAGE Elite Reviewer Award was established in 2019 to recognize reviewers whose contributions to Prosthetics and Orthotics International have been exceptional in terms of number of reviews performed, quality of the written critiques and turnaround time. Each year, the Editors-in-Chief analyse reviewer statistics to identify up to five reviewers who have provided multiple, high-quality peer reviews. We are pleased to announce that the 2020 SAGE Elite Reviewer Awardees for reviews conducted during 2019 are as follows:

Our Elite Reviewers are a reflection of the diverse community of professionals supporting Prosthetics and Orthotics International. In acknowledging his award, Mr. Stevens stated that it takes the collective efforts [of many professionals] to support the academic development of the field. Reviewers represent the many different disciplines involved in prosthetics and orthotics research, clinical care and education, as well as the broad geographic dispersion of our authors and readers.

Peer review of a manuscript is a challenging task requiring expertise, critical thinking, time, effort and clear articulation of opinions. It is an act of scholarship, professionalism and a necessary component of publication efforts. For Dr Wong,

‘the basic and fundamental purpose of reviewing is to enhance prosthetics and orthotics science and clinical practice for the benefit of our patients’.

High quality and timely reviews are needed to facilitate publication and dissemination of the best evidence to all those in our community. Dr Sions reflected,

thoughtful peer review is a critical component of the scientific process, enhancing the quality, transparency, and reproducibility of published research. I have reviewed and will continue to review for Prosthetics and Orthotics International as I believe input from scientists who are also clinicians, can enhance the translation of laboratory-based work to clinical practice.

In addition to supporting the dissemination of best evidence, peer review is also personally rewarding and instructive. Mr Heitzmann reflected that,

reviews are very important for me. I have to deal intensively with the manuscript, understand it, and bring in my thoughts and suggestions. This process helps me to learn and I am convinced that this process will also help me to become a better scientist.

Encouraging and supporting new reviewers

Prosthetics and Orthotics International is always seeking new reviewers who are willing and able to contribute their expertise and time. If you have a particular area of professional expertise and are interested in reviewing for Prosthetics and Orthotics International, you can contact a journal editor and express interest. If you are interested in reviewing, but have little or no experience with peer review, our SAGE Elite Reviewer Awardees are willing to discuss their reviewing experiences and offer advice on how to perform a quality review. Mr Heitzmann stated, I hope I can inspire more scientists to accept reviews, as this is an essential part of our work and promotes scientific exchange. This is not to be underestimated, because science involves a constant exchange with other scientists.

If you are interested in reviewing, you can ask a colleague who already reviews for a journal, or sits on an editorial board, to recommend you as a reviewer or help you learn the process through co-reviewing a manuscript. As a new initiative to facilitate co-review by early career researchers or clinicians and avoid ghostwriting, ¹ our Editorial Board has established a process that allows for senior researchers or colleagues to formally mentor or delegate peer review duties to mentees when the opportunity arises. To initiate this process, an individual who has been invited to review for Prosthetics and Orthotics International can inform the Associate Editor that they would like to mentor another individual when they are invited to review a manuscript for the journal. This will trigger a formal process whereby both the mentee and mentor can participate in the peer review. This process helps maintain ethical standards of peer review by ensuring that the mentor is not violating confidentiality by sharing information without permission to a mentee. It also ensures that both mentor and mentee are provided the opportunity to declare any conflict of interest prior to commencing the review process.

We wish to extend our thanks to all who contribute as peer reviewers for Prosthetics and Orthotics International and commend the recipients of the SAGE Elite Reviewer Award for their contributions. We also welcome readers to contact us with queries, suggestions and recommendations for improving the peer review process.