Certified Peer Reviewer Course

By taking the Certified* Peer Reviewer course, you will receive a thorough grounding in the principles and practice of refereeing. Co-created, developed and in part delivered by senior academic editors on leading journals, the course has been specifically designed to give those who have not yet reviewed – or who feel they would like additional training in this area – the skills and confidence to accept a request to review.

Delivered via directed self-learning in the form of webinars, podcasts and questionnaires, the course can be tackled in your own time. Several core modules must be completed to gain certification, but you can “pick and choose” additional elements to suit your individual learning needs and interests. You can also check out the speakers & advisory board here and you can familiarize yourself with the syllabus here. Becoming a certified peer reviewer will allow you to publicly demonstrate your expertise as a referee and will be a clear signal to journal editors that you would be a valuable addition to their reviewer pool. In addition, it is possible that your institution might recognize your certification as evidence of continuing professional education. 

*Please note that completion of the Certified Peer Reviewer course does not guarantee invitation or selection as a reviewer. Furthermore, practices, requirements, instructions and methodologies can vary considerably according to the context in which you are working, the type of journal and the specific editor and title so the examples and suggestions in the course should be taken as illustrative but non-exhaustive. Please refer to your journal’s guide for authors and any specific instructions or advice from the editor or journal for the most relevant instructions for your review.