Peer Review | Edited Guide Writing Workshop | Alternative Writing Workshop
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Welcome to Peer Review, the area of h2g2 where you the Community help us to decide which entries go into the Edited Guide. There are two ways to contribute to Peer Review:

• 1. Comment on an entry - You can comment on any of the entries in Peer Review thread, offer advice, suggest changes or otherwise help someone make their entry as good as possible. If the comments on an entry are generally positive, it may eventually be picked for inclusion in the Edited Guide (see further down this page for more information on commenting in Peer Review).

• 2. Submit an entry - if you've written something that you think is worthy of entering the Edited Guide - or if you think someone else's entry should be in there - you can submit the entry to Peer Review. Again, if the comments on the entry are generally positive, it may eventually be picked for inclusion in the Edited Guide (see further down this page for more information on submitting entries to Peer Review).

Important Note: Peer Review is not the place for entries that are unfinished, works in progress, rants, fiction, one-liners, jokes or personal theories that have no accepted basis in the 'real' world (whatever that means). But if you've written something that you feel is finished and want to see what everyone else thinks, then Peer Review might well be the right place for you. If not, please wait until the entry is complete or you have more time to finish it.

For a detailed explanation of all of the Review Forums system, please read the Review Forums FAQ.

If you would like to put your entry into Peer Review, please read this page which covers writing for the Edited guide and the Writing Guidelines which edited entries usually need to follow.

How to Comment in Peer Review

To comment on an entry in Peer Review, the first thing you need to do is read the entry. That might sound obvious, but it has been known for some people to comment on entries without reading them, which is if nothing else rude to the author who has spent their time writing it. Click on the title or the A-number in the list below and read on!

Once you've read the entry, don't click the 'Discuss this entry' button - Instead, click the 'Currently in Peer Review' link on the right-hand side of the entry - this will take you to the Peer Review comment thread. You can add your comments there, as with any other conversation on h2g2, by clicking 'Reply' to the last posting and typing your comment in the box.

Important Notes

Before you comment on an entry in Peer Review, consider the following points:

• Is it the author's first entry? (You can check their personal space to find out). If so, be gentle in your criticism - if they're really going wrong you may wish to direct them to the Writing Guidelines for Edited Entries. Remember, everyone wrote their first entry once!

• Have a read of the entire Peer Review thread - if you spotted a mistake or omission, it might already have been pointed out and dealt with.

• If you like the entry - say so! Everyone likes compliments.

• Simply posting 'I hated this, it's rubbish', doesn't give the author much of a clue what they may be doing wrong. If you don't like it, try to make your criticism specific.

• Wherever possible, try to help the researcher get the grammar and spelling as accurate as possible. While we have volunteer Sub-editors who polish entries before publication, it never hurts to get the entry as 'right' as possible early on. This will also speed up your chances of being recommended by a Scout.

• Ask yourself if you actually understand the entry. Guide Entries are aimed, in the main, at the educated layman, so if you didn't understand it, it may be a failing of the author. On the other hand, it might well be you - so don't be afraid to tactfully ask for an explanation.

• Stay subscribed to the thread; once you've commented, keep an eye on what others are saying. It may be the start of an interesting conversation.

• If the entry gets picked - and particularly if it is the author's first - pop back and congratulate them!

How to Submit an Entry to Peer Review

To put an entry into Peer Review, simply click on the 'Submit for Review' button on the entry and follow the instructions, choosing 'Peer Review' from the drop-down menu. If there is no such button, then that's because you can't put that entry into a Review Forum; it might already be in a Review Forum, it might be an Edited Entry, it might be someone's Personal Space, or the author might not want it to be put in for review.

Once you've submitted your entry to Peer Review, it will stay there for at least seven days before anyone is allowed to pick it. This is the time for people to make comments and for you to make any changes recommended. If it looks like you'll need to make major changes to your entry, the best thing to do is to take it out of Peer Review and resubmit it when it's ready.

Important Notes

Before you put an entry into Peer Review, please make sure the following apply, or you may find your entry moved to a more suitable Review Forum:

• Check that there is not already an entry on this subject in the Edited Guide¹. You can do this by Searching the Guide. If you are proposing an update of an existing Edited Entry, then please do not post it here. Go to the Update Forum instead.

• Make sure that the entry is, as far as you are concerned, finished. If you're looking for a few final comments on an entry that you haven't quite finished, then please submit it to the Writing Workshop instead. Alternatively, if all you have is a basic idea for an entry and would like other Researchers to contribute ideas to it, then submit your idea as a Guide Entry to the Collaborative Writing Workshop.

• Ensure the entry fits our Editorial Guidelines. Essentially this means it is truly well written and informative. If your entry doesn't fit the guidelines but you still want input from the Community, you might like to check out the Alternative Writing Workshop instead.

How Long Before Your Entry Gets Picked?

The short answer is... nobody knows! Some Scouts specialise in picking entries that have been in Peer Review for a long time, some like to pick those which are more recent, and others manage to pick from throughout Peer Review. If you have made all the changes suggested by other Researchers - well, those you agree with! - then hopefully your entry will be picked sooner rather than later. The wait can be anything from a week to months; it all depends on those picking.

One thing to note is that the Scouts cannot pick entries that have been in Peer Review for less than a week (as denoted by the 'Incubate' setting in the Review Forum Data box), so every entry will be in review for at least seven days. Most entries stay in Peer Review for a few weeks before being picked, so patience is the best advice we can give!

If you'd like to know about the next stage in the Editorial Process after a Scout has picked your entry, then check out What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?

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¹ It's also worth checking if there's already an entry on the topic in Peer Review or if another Researcher is in the process of writing on the same subject, thus giving you the opportunity to put together a collaborative entry.