The number of manuscripts submitted to most scholarly journals has increased tremendously over the last few decades, and shows no sign of leveling off. Increasingly, a key challenge faced by editors of scientific journals like the International Journal of Nursing Studies {IJNS) is to secure peer reviews in a timely fashion for the manuscripts they handle. We hear from editors of some journals that it is not uncommon to have to issue 10-15 invitations before one can secure the peer reviews needed to assess a given manuscript and although the IJNS generally fares better than this it is certainly true that a high proportion, probably a majority, of review invitations are declined.Most often, researchers declining invitations to review invoke the fact that they are too busy to add yet another item to their already overcommitted schedule. Some reviewers respond that administrators at their university or research center are actively discouraging them from engaging in an activity that seems to bear no tangible benefits. Yet, however one looks at it, peer reviewing is a crucial component of the publishing process. Nobody has yet come up with a viable alternative. Therefore, we need to find a way to convince our colleagues to peer review manuscripts more often. This can be done with a stick or with various types of carrots.
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