Learnings as an AI & Robotics Affiliate Editor with 100 Peer Opinions
I will share what I’ve learnt concerning the educational peer overview course of by way of a private journey from a hesitant reviewer to an Affiliate Editor for the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (Affect Issue 4.6).
Whereas most conventional science and engineering publications require prior publication expertise and educational credentials to function reviewers, machine studying and information science may be an exception. A major driver of the widespread adoption and use of knowledge science has been open-source initiatives and repositories. Many influential contributors to open-source information science will not be all the time printed researchers however possess deep information of the sphere by way of apply and experimentation. Moreover, formal educational levels in machine studying have solely existed for just a few years, and plenty of present researchers come from numerous backgrounds. I, for instance, have a background in Mechanical Engineering.
With the above in thoughts, I hope that in case you are a machine studying practitioner who’s curious concerning the overview course of and needs to get entangled, this text ought to present some worth.
· My Story
· What’s Peer Evaluation?
∘ Shouldn’t Editorial Board Members be the Specialists?
· Peer Evaluation Course of
· Why You Ought to Think about Peer Reviewing
· How Can You Get Concerned?
∘ Monitoring Peer Opinions utilizing Net of Science
∘ Do I must be a printed researcher?
· How A lot Time Does it Take?
· Conclusion
· Chilly E-mail Template
· Disclaimer
In August 2024, I reached 100 verified peer critiques for 9 completely different educational journals and conventions. Though I carried out my first overview in 2016, it was not till mid-2022 that I really began having fun with the method.
As a graduate pupil (2015–2020), I by no means actually loved reviewing papers. As a substitute, I principally did it as a tutorial obligation when my advisor requested me to take action. Moreover, I lacked confidence in my means to critique others’ work, on condition that I solely had few publications below my belt.
After graduating, I discovered it difficult to remain up-to-date with new analysis. As a pupil, studying papers was a part of the job. In trade, nevertheless, I solely learn the preferred papers. To remain present with the newest analysis, fulfill my educational duties, and construct a stronger analysis profile, I started emailing editors of assorted journals to precise my curiosity in turning into a reviewer. Though I obtained responses from nearly all the journals, solely 2–3 assigned me papers initially. Over time, I began receiving overview requests from journals I hadn’t contacted as properly.
In late 2023, I utilized to IEEE RA-L for an Affiliate Editor position and was finally chosen to serve within the human-robot-interaction monitor.
In the remainder of this text, I’ll clarify:
- the significance of peer reviewing and what the method entails,
- why you need to take into account reviewing for tutorial publications and how you may get began
- time dedication and different elements to contemplate
Lastly, I can even share a chilly e-mail template that you should utilize to succeed in out to editors.
Though there may be some controversy over the efficacy of the peer overview course of, I don’t take into account myself well-versed sufficient to touch upon that side. As a substitute, I’ll concentrate on sharing my experiences and learnings.