This SciPoll examined peer review activities across the scientific community, looking at time spent on reviews, annual review volume, and how scientists select which review requests to accept.
Our results show a highly active reviewer community, with 84% of scientists having completed a peer review within the last month and 58% within the past week. Only a small fraction of respondents (2%) had never completed a peer review.
45% of respondents report receiving more than 20 review requests annually, with some noting they receive “more than 10 papers each month from different publishers.” Despite this high demand, only 18% of reviewers accept more than 20 reviews per year. As one reviewer explained, “I try not to accept that many invitations since the work takes time and dedication, but it is voluntary, and I have to use my free time to do it.” Another mentioned they “always review at least one manuscript every month” as part of their professional responsibility. Many respondents indicated that their decision to accept a review depends on factors including relevance to their expertise, journal reputation, and current workload.
The data shows substantial time investment from reviewers. The largest group (41%) typically dedicates 2-4 hours per review, while 31% spend 4-8 hours on each manuscript. Several respondents described their process, with one noting, “I have read the paper roughly then read it another time deeply.” Some reviewers (15%) spend 8-16 hours on papers, and 7% devote more than 16 hours to certain reviews, with one respondent reporting they completed “164 peer reviews in 2024.” Many mentioned that time varies with manuscript complexity: “it really depends on how many revisions are needed and how well written the manuscript is.”
Many reviewers described being selective about the journals they review for, with some prioritizing established journals with higher impact factors. Others focus specifically on their direct expertise areas: “I usually accept only peer review concerning my field of interest where I know the literature and I can work easily on it.” Some are guided by journal quality, with one noting, “While accepting a review my concern is always the reputation of the journal and the quality of the submission.”