6 Librarians and Peer Review
Introduction
This module is specifically for library workers and library students. It uncovers themes particular to the field of library and information science as well as the practices of our professional community. It asks you to learn more about peer-review practices and processes as it relates to the Library and Information Science (LIS) community, whether that is in its practices in scholarship or whether it is in our daily roles as library workers.
Library workers are in an interesting position when it comes to peer review. We may be teaching students what peer review is, or we may be helping students learn techniques on how to identify peer-reviewed literature. We may be cataloging materials or running publishing programs that include peer-review literature. This module asks you to explore the processes specific to our field and to reflect on its unique challenges and opportunities.
By the end of this module you should be able to:
- Identify peer-review practices in LIS literature
- Outline librarians’ roles in peer review, both as scholars and as educators
- Illustrate peer-review challenges and opportunities specific to LIS
Activities and Exercises
Read: Peer Review Approaches in LIS (6:1)
“The Elusive Norm: Peer Review in LIS” (pp. 31-52) in Stories of Open by Emily Ford.
Read A Privilege, a Gift, and a Reason for Gratitude: Appreciating the Human Dimension of Peer Review by Dali and Jaeger.
Read Open Ethos Publishing at Code4Lib Journal and In the Library with the Lead Pipe by Ford and Bean.
Read Digital Publishing for Near Future by Jaime Ding.
Listen: Joyce Gabiola on up//root (6:2)
Listen to this podcast episode: Joyce Gabiola on Care, Intentionality, and Amplifying Voices. (The most germane part of this podcast episode is the discussion of the up//root publication, which starts at 23:00 and ends at 35:00. However, the whole episode is good, so listen to the whole thing if you can!)
Do: Find Peer-Review Processes in LIS Journals (6:3)
Find three peer-reviewed LIS journals and browse their website for information on their peer-review processes. After reading through the information you’ve found, review your peer-review flowchart that you made in Module 1 (1:4) and that you revisited in Module 3 (3:4). Do you need to make any adjustments for it based on practices you have observed in LIS from your findings, as well as from the above reading and listening? If so, make these adjustments.
Need ideas on peer-reviewed journals in LIS? Check out DOAJ’s list of LIS journals.
Do: Outline Librarians’ Peer-Review Activities as Librarian and Scholar (6:4)
Librarians are not just writers and researchers. They are also educators who engage with students about the peer-review process and teach students how to find and identify peer-reviewed literature. In this activity you should create a list outlining the different activities librarians perform related to peer review. You could focus on a type of librarian if you like. For example, a medical librarian may interact differently with peer review than would a system librarian. In essence, our jobs as librarians differ, and so will how we approach peer review or in what ways we perform peer review. Consider creating a table that compares the labor of the librarian in their many work-related disparate roles (instructor, cataloger, facilitator, searcher, reference specialist, etc.). Below is an example.
| Librarian at Work | Scholar |
| Teach peer review in classes | Serve as a reviewer |
Do: Reflect/Journal (6:5)
Set a timer for ten minutes and write or record yourself thinking aloud about the following questions:
- What is your perception of peer review in LIS, and where does this perception come from?
- In your current work role in LIS, be it as a student, library worker, etc, what do you do in relation to peer-review, or how could it be related to peer-review in LIS?
- What are the unique things about LIS that should be reflected in its peer-review processes and practices?
- Using the knowledge you have gained throughout this course, what are the challenges unique to peer review in LIS? What are the unique opportunities?
References
Dali, K., & Jaeger, P. T. (2018, September 11). A privilege, a gift, and a reason for gratitude: Appreciating the human dimension of peer review. Impact of Social Sciences. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2018/09/11/a-privilege-a-gift-and-a-reason-for-gratitude-appreciating-the-human-dimension-of-peer-review/
Ford, E., & Bean, C. (2012). Open Ethos Publishing at Code4Lib Journal and In the Library with the Lead Pipe. In the Library with the Lead Pipe. https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2012/open-ethos-publishing
Ford, E. (2021). Stories of open: Opening peer review through narrative inquiry. https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/stories-open-opening-peer-review-through-narrative-inquiry-acrl-publications-librarianship or https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/36043
Ding, J. (2020, June 10). Digital publishing for near future. WOC+Lib. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://www.wocandlib.org/features/2020/6/10/jaime-ding-digital-publishing-for-near-future
Gabiola, J. (2021, June). Episode 14: Joyce Gabiola on care, intentionality, and amplifying voices [Podcast]. LibVoices. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://open.spotify.com/episode/2wshD9Yxl8DVLNMXD9d8uL