1. Getting Started

Course Overview

About This Course

Journal editors rely on peer reviews to help them judge the value of a technical article and determine whether it should be published. This course provides an overview of the objectives for peer review and of the steps involved in reviewing a scientific manuscript. It will demystify the process for early career researchers who are new to peer review, and more experienced reviewers may benefit from a refresher on the best practices for ensuring a constructive and ethical review of scientific research.

Each module listed in the menu to the left contains a short quiz at the end to help you assess your understanding of the content presented. Module 10 contains the final assessment. After successful completion of the final assessment, you will be certified as an Optica Publishing Group reviewer.  You will be able to download a certificate of completion, and your profile in our Prism reviewer database will include your certification status so that our journal editors can see your qualification and consider inviting you to review.  You will also collect points within the Optica Publshing Group Reviewer Rewards program.

An appendix of supplemental material, which you can access at any time, contains links to all of the resources cited in each module, as well as links to references that support the best practices described throughout the course.