Systems and methods for facilitating the peer review process

Abstract

The present invention provides methods for integrating the peer review process with other applications and facilitating peer review using a user interface linked to a peer review application having knowledge base information and defined rules for: accepting a paper for peer review, assigning the paper to one or more of a defined set of reviewers for review, providing to the reviewers one or more criteria to be used for reviewing and evaluating each paper for enabling each reviewer to create a peer review result, and processing all peer review results for any paper to produce a peer review report. Access to these systems and methods may be provided, for example, on a stand-alone computer or over the Internet, World Wide Web, or an intranet.

1 . A peer review system comprising; 
 a user interface for identifying the user, for accepting predefined user information, and for providing a result;    a peer review application operably linked to said user interface, said peer review application comprising knowledge base information and defined rules for (a) accepting a paper for peer review, (b) defining a peer review assignment, (c) assigning said paper to a defined set of reviewers for review, (d) providing to said reviewers criteria for reviewing each said paper to produce a peer review result, and (e) processing all peer review results for any paper to produce a peer review report; and,    a computer system having stored therein said peer review application, wherein said computer system comprises computer memory and a computer processor.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1  additionally comprising an intermediary service provider operably linked to said computer system, wherein said intermediary service provider is capable of displaying said user interface and said peer review report to a user.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said predefined user information is used to categorize users as one or more of the group consisting of submitters, sponsors, reviewers, administrators, and visitors.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 3  wherein said predefined user information comprises identification information and a paper responsive to an assignment when said user is identified as a submitter.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 4  wherein said predefined user information comprises identification information and a response to a peer review assignment when said user is identified as a reviewer.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 5  wherein said result is a peer review report.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 3  wherein when said user is identified as a sponsor, said predefined user information comprises information needed to create a peer review assignment, define a set of reviewers, define said criteria for rating each paper, and define criteria by which papers are to be distributed to said reviewers.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 7  wherein said set of reviewers comprises the set of those submitting papers responsive to an assignment created by said sponsor.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 7  wherein said knowledge base information and rules include rules for randomly assigning said paper to any reviewer except the submitter, and for assigning to each reviewer only the number of papers predetermined by the sponsor.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 7  wherein said peer review assignment includes a first date for completing the review of each paper, and a second date when each peer review result will be available to submitters.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 10  wherein said rules eliminate links enabling a reviewer to complete a peer review assignment once said first date has passed.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 3  wherein said user interface provides notice to a reviewer of a peer review assignment, at least one link to each paper assigned for review, and at least one link to a peer review page having spaces for accepting the reviewer's responses to queries defining the criteria for rating each assigned paper.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said knowledge base information comprises a database including a list of potential submitters, a list of potential sponsors, a list of potential reviewers, a library of questions and rubrics which can be used in reviewing papers, at least one paper to be reviewed, completed peer reviews and peer review reports.  
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said predefined rules include selectable reviewing criteria to be used to create a peer review result, rules for random assignment of papers, rules for establishing the start and finish dates of the peer review assignment, and rules for creating a peer review report from all peer review results.  
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said computer memory is capable of storing said knowledge base information, rules, and peer review application.  
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein said intermediary service provider is a hosted electronic environment.  
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein said hosted electronic environment is a website accessible on the internet.  
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17  wherein said user information includes identification data used to verify the user as a subscriber.  
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 13  additionally including a library of peer review assignments.  
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 10  additionally comprising a third date when a reminder of the first date is sent to each reviewer.  
   
   
       21 - 70 . (canceled)