The importance of the Scientific Reviewers' work

Mamede de Carvalho, Full Professor at the FMUL and Director of the Institute of Physiology, was distinguished with a Publons Peer Review Award, for being ranked among the top 1% in the Neuroscience & Behaviour magazine.





With regard to the meaning of this distinction, Professor Mamede de Carvalho said that:

«Historically speaking, the scientific paper reviewer's work has not been valued as a means of expressing the international recognition of researchers as experts and adequate in the judgement of the work of third parties by their peers. This work has been invisible in curricula and, therefore, inert when it comes to return, unlike presentations or publications. 

In my case, I have surely reviewed about one thousand articles in international journals with impact factor and peer review, over the years, (the piecemeal figures are on the journals' website, in the privacy of each reviewer's area), but this work has had no expression. 

This work is now being considered, with an impact on individual and institutional curricula. This progress is largely due to Publons' initiative (https://publons.com/home), which keeps a track record of this continuous and laborious work. The process is remarkable, because it is not limited to calculating the impact of the journals in charts that express that quantity and quality of the investment that is made. Details such as the most laborious day of the week for these tasks per reviewer and others are also available. Lastly, Publons recognises the most industrious reviewers, such as myself. 

Researchers should internalise this new breakthrough and examine the (simple) record-keeping process of the review effort. Many journals send this information automatically, with permission.»