Fast Peer Review: How to Judge Claims

Many journals advertise fast peer review. Some of those claims are honest and useful. Others are a warning sign. Here is how to tell the difference before you submit.

What a fair speed claim looks like

  • It is a published figure, such as a median time to first decision, not a promise for your paper.
  • It says what it measures: time to first decision, to acceptance, or to publication are very different numbers.
  • It sits alongside a clear description of how peer review works and who the reviewers are.

Warning signs

  • A guaranteed acceptance or publication date before anyone has read the paper.
  • A "fast-track" fee that buys a quicker decision.
  • Review times that are too short for real expert reading, such as a few days for a full research paper.
  • Unsolicited emails promising quick publication in a journal outside your field.

Genuine peer review needs time for an editor to screen the paper and for independent experts to read it. A journal that skips those steps is fast because it is not really reviewing.

Better questions than "how fast?"

  • How many reviewers assess each paper, and are they independent of the authors?
  • Is review single-anonymous, double-anonymous or open?
  • Does every article get a DOI and a clear licence?
  • Is the journal honest about where it is and is not indexed?
  • What does it cost, and when?

Where ASIDE Case Reports stands

ASIDE Case Reports does not sell faster review and does not promise decision dates. Every manuscript is screened by an editor and assessed by at least two independent reviewers under double-anonymous peer review. There is no fee at any stage.

Submit your case report, free Why publish with ASIDE Case Reports →