Introduction: Peer-review plays a pivotal role in optimizing the quality of research articles. However, new strategies need to be implemented in the peer-review system to enhance research rigor, accurate reporting, and data reliability, such as increasing diversity among the reviewers through the inclusion of undergraduate students as reviewers. We aim to report the peer-review policies, procedures, and practices of a medical student-led journal editorial board in 2020, specifically detailing the challenges and the role of the students in the peer-review process. Methods: Through validated online training courses and peer education methodology, the students built capacity regarding the relevance of peer-review, its models, structure, and the publication process. The peer-review process was blinded for authors and reviewers, emphasizing the importance of impartiality and the minimization of identification bias. Guidelines for authors and reviewers were developed to add standardization to the submission and review processes, based on journals’ recommendations and reporting guidelines. Results: From July to August of 2020, the student-led journal received 254 submitted manuscripts from all five Brazilian geographic regions, compared to the 72 submissions received in the previous edition. After review, 50 manuscripts were accepted with major or minor corrections. Discussion: Peer-review contributes to the construction of content, and is the foundation for evidence-based medicine. In addition, it improves ethical thinking, communication skills, and critical appraisal abilities, also desirable in the academic and professional spheres. The medical student peer-review process has numerous benefits and should be promoted and further studied as a potential strategy for building capacity in peer-review.
A essência da extensão universitária se pauta na emancipação da sociedade, culminando na indissociabilidade entre ensino, pesquisa e extensão, aspecto de interesse das instituições de ensino superior e dos discentes, visando o exercício da cidadania. Assim, iniciativas que destaquem a relação entre pesquisa e extensão são de extrema relevância. Nesse contexto, a International Federation of Medical Students Associations of Brazil (IFMSA Brazil) é uma organização que trabalha com intuito de fortalecer o tripé universitário e engajar novas lideranças nessas áreas. O principal objetivo deste estudo é discorrer sobre a atuação do time nacional de publicação, pesquisa e extensão da IFMSA Brazil da gestão 2019-2020 como recurso humano para formação de líderes em pesquisa e extensão, analisando o impacto deste trabalho no âmbito estudantil e universitário, da saúde pública e da comunidade. Este estudo observacional descritivo e retrospectivo tem como objeto de análise as atividades realizadas por este time, no período entre dezembro de 2019 a junho de 2020, em prol da formação de lideranças estudantil no cenário da pesquisa e extensão. Com isso, este trabalho demonstra como esse time não apenas enaltece o acesso à educação em pesquisa e em extensão, através de capacitações, divulgação de oportunidades, materiais, entre outras estratégias, mas também fomenta a liderança estudantil em 220 escolas médicas com o propósito de consolidar a saúde pública, a tradução do conhecimento, a responsabilidade social e o letramento em saúde.
Introduction: Peer review plays a pivotal role in optimizing articles’ quality. However, in a context of poor methodological publications and unreliable data, it is questionable which strategies to invest in to improve peer reviewing. An excellent start is by enhancing diversity through inclusion of undergraduate students to reviewers. We aim to report the peer reviewing policies, procedures, and practices of a medical student-led journal editorial board in 2020, detailing the challenges and the role of students in building capacity in peer review. Methods: Through validated online training courses and peer education methodology, the students built capacity regarding the relevance of peer review, its models, structure, and publication process. The journal peer-reviewing was blinded for authors and reviewers, pursuing impartiality and minimization of identification bias. To add standardization to the submission and review processes, guidelines for authors and reviewers were developed, based on journals’ recommendations, and reporting guidelines. Results: The journal had 254 submitted manuscripts from all five Brazilian geographic regions during the second semester of 2020, a considerable increase compared to the 72 submissions in the previous edition. After reviewing, 50 articles were accepted to the Brazilian Medical Students’ 7th edition, demanding minor or major corrections.Discussion: Peer review contributes to the construction of content, standing for evidence-based medicine. Besides, it improves ethical, communication, and critical appraisal abilities, also desirable in the academic and professional spheres. Among the benefits and limitations of this medical students' peer review process, there is an interesting strategy to be studied and further promoted.
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