As an offering of the Academy’s peer-reviewed journal, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the Resident Reviewer Development Program gives residents interested in peer review the opportunity to work with a mentor who is a seasoned peer reviewer. By completing reviews under a mentor’s guidance, participants gain the skills needed to comprehensively review a scientific article. Excelling as a peer reviewer is often the first step toward a position as a journal Editorial Board member or Associate Editor.
Applications are not being accepted at this time. For updates on when applications will be accepted again, please check this page periodically.
Note: In a collaboration of the journal’s International Editorial Board and AAO-HNSF International Affairs, a special peer reviewer and author program was produced. Learn More.
Requirements
U.S. and Canadian applicants should:
- Be PGY-3 or PGY-4
- Obtain a letter of recommendation from their program director
- Submit a completed application
- Read and watch the Reviewer Development Resources training materials and—once accepted—confirm completion prior to formal matriculation
International applicants should:
- Be in at least the second year of otolaryngology-specific residency training
- Obtain a letter of recommendation from their program director
- Submit a completed application
- Exhibit full professional proficiency in English
- Read and watch the Reviewer Development Resources training materials and—once accepted—confirm completion prior to formal matriculation
Responsibilities
Once the Deputy Editor approves an application, the resident is paired with a mentor. Accepted participants are notified of their mentors and given detailed instructions on how manuscripts to review are received and submitted once complete. Before reviewing can begin, participants must read and watch the Reviewer Development Resources, complete a checklist noting each resource has been reviewed, and submit the checklist to the program office. Participants are encouraged to log the dates they submitted reviews and the dates they received feedback from their mentors.
Participants must commit to responding to correspondence and completing reviews in a timely manner. Reliable responses to communications from the program office are also required. Unresponsiveness will typically result in removal from the program.
Completion
Participants review under their mentors’ guidance for three to six reviews, on average. Upon mentor recommendation, participants then complete a review independently and receive a review score from the Deputy Editor (the review chart/scoring rubric is here). If the review is scored at 75 or above, the participant will join the main peer reviewer pool. If the review is scored below 75, the participant may continue with the mentored program or withdraw.
Note: Due to the high volume of applications the editors receive, you may not be enrolled in the program upon application.
We would like to hear from you if you have interest in the program—as a potential mentee, mentor, residency program director, or related journal. We are also open to inquiries from our international community, for example, editors of journals outside the United States. Please direct questions and comments to [email protected].
