Peer-review is the system used to assess the quality of a manuscript before it is published. Independent researchers in the relevant research area assess submitted manuscripts for originality, validity and significance to help editors determine whether the manuscript should be published in their journal. You can read more about the peer-review process here.
Population Health Metrics operates an open peer-review system, where the reviewers' names are included on the peer review reports for authors. In addition, if the article is published, the named reviewer reports are published online alongside the article under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0. Previous versions of the manuscript and all author responses to the reviewers are available by contacting info@biomedcentral.com.
The benefit of open peer review is that it increases transparency. The peer reviewers and Editors are fully accountable for the decisions made, bias is reduced as reviewer reports are named, published reports can serve an educational purpose in helping facilitate training and research into peer review, and reviewers can get credit for their work.
Submitted articles will generally be reviewed by two external experts. Reviewers advise the editors, who are responsible for the final decision to accept or reject a manuscript.
Reviewers give detailed comments in the following areas to advise the editors and to give guidance to authors on revisions if needed: importance, originality, clarity and presentation, validity and scientific quality, study design and methodology, statistical standards, and justification of conclusions in terms of evidence presented.
Edited by Christopher JL Murray and Alan D. Lopez, Population Health Metrics is supported by an expert Editorial Board.