Learnings as an AI & Robotics Affiliate Editor with 100 Peer Opinions
I will share what I’ve learnt in regards to the tutorial peer overview course of by means of a private journey from a hesitant reviewer to an Affiliate Editor for the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (Affect Issue 4.6).
Whereas most conventional science and engineering publications require prior publication expertise and tutorial credentials to function reviewers, machine studying and knowledge science may be an exception. A major driver of the widespread adoption and use of knowledge science has been open-source tasks and repositories. Many influential contributors to open-source knowledge science will not be at all times printed researchers however possess deep data of the sector by means of follow and experimentation. Moreover, formal tutorial levels in machine studying have solely existed for just a few years, and plenty of present researchers come from various backgrounds. I, for instance, have a background in Mechanical Engineering.
With the above in thoughts, I hope that in case you are a machine studying practitioner who’s curious in regards to the overview course of and needs to become involved, this text ought to present some worth.
· My Story
· What is Peer Review?
∘ Shouldn’t Editorial Board Members be the Experts?
· Peer Review Process
· Why You Should Consider Peer Reviewing
· How Can You Get Involved?
∘ Tracking Peer Reviews using Web of Science
∘ Do I need to be a published researcher?
· How Much Time Does it Take?
· Conclusion
· Cold Email Template
· Disclaimer
In August 2024, I reached 100 verified peer reviews for 9 different academic journals and conferences. Though I carried out my first overview in 2016, it was not till mid-2022 that I really began having fun with the method.
As a graduate scholar (2015–2020), I by no means actually loved reviewing papers. As an alternative, I principally did it as an educational obligation when my advisor requested me to take action. Moreover, I lacked confidence in my potential to critique others’ work, on condition that I solely had few publications below my belt.
After graduating, I discovered it difficult to remain up-to-date with new analysis. As a scholar, studying papers was a part of the job. In business, nevertheless, I solely learn the most well-liked papers. To remain present with the most recent analysis, fulfill my tutorial duties, and construct a stronger analysis profile, I started emailing editors of varied journals to precise my curiosity in turning into a reviewer. Though I acquired responses from virtually all the journals, solely 2–3 assigned me papers initially. Over time, I began receiving overview requests from journals I hadn’t contacted as nicely.
In late 2023, I utilized to IEEE RA-L for an Affiliate Editor position and was finally chosen to serve within the human-robot-interaction observe.
In the remainder of this text, I’ll clarify:
- the significance of peer reviewing and what the method entails,
- why it’s best to take into account reviewing for educational publications and how you will get began
- time dedication and different components to contemplate
Lastly, I can even share a chilly electronic mail template that you should utilize to achieve out to editors.
Though there may be some controversy over the efficacy of the peer overview course of, I don’t take into account myself well-versed sufficient to touch upon that side. As an alternative, I’ll give attention to sharing my experiences and learnings.
