(1 Aug 2019) The Optical Society (OSA) today announced the launch of the new OSA Reviewer Resource Center, a convenient and comprehensive portal offering reviewers the opportunity to become certified, find guidance and information about reviewing for OSA’s journals, and be recognized and rewarded for the vital service they perform for the Society.
Employing video, infographics, and text, the new Reviewer Certification Course outlines the objectives of peer review and explains best practices for writing a constructive and useful review. Whether a volunteer is new to the peer review process or wants to hone skills in a specific area, the course provides something for everyone. Upon successful completion, participants will be certified as an OSA Reviewer and earn points towards OSA’s new volunteer rewards program.
The Reviewer Recognition and Rewards Program includes a wide range of acknowledgements and benefits, from free access to all OSA published content for 30 days and appreciation certificates to the annual selection of the Top 25 Outstanding Reviewers. New to the program is the ability for reviewers to earn and accumulate points for reviews completed and to redeem their points for either a complimentary one-year OSA membership or Open Access publication fee discounts. These reviewer acknowledgements and benefits represent the first phase of a broader volunteer rewards initiative that OSA is undertaking to thank all in the optics and photonics community who generously give their time to support the Society.
In addition to certification, recognition, and rewards, the Reviewer Resource Center provides other helpful material including an overview of OSA Publishing’s peer review process, information about how to become an OSA reviewer, and review criteria for each of OSA’s journals. Much of the valuable advice provided in the portal comes directly from the editors themselves and is presented in an engaging multimedia format.
“OSA’s reviewers invest countless hours reading and providing valuable feedback on the more than 20,000 manuscripts submitted to OSA Publishing each year,” said David Hagan, Chair of OSA’s Publications Council and member of the Board of Directors. “The new OSA Reviewer Resource Center is designed to better support, recognize, and reward our reviewers, whether they are new to peer review or have a long record of service. We expect that it will also help to ensure that authors receive consistent and fair feedback from OSA’s peer review process, and that this may also improve their publications.”
“OSA is very appreciative of all the time, effort, and dedication that our volunteers provide to the myriad programs and services that we offer,” said Ursula Gibson, 2019 OSA President. “It is because of the essential work of our volunteers that OSA is known for its high quality and standards. OSA’s peer review process is a central example of this and is key to our ability to continue to produce first-rate publications for the optics and photonics community. The new Reviewer Resources Center is a small way for OSA to give back to our reviewers, providing opportunities for education, certification, recognition, and rewards.”
To access the OSA Reviewer Resource Center, visit https://www.osapublishing.org/reviewer.
The original press release is here.
