Low and high-impact-factor journals: which has better peer review quality?

Abstract

Do high-impact-factor journals have better peer review quality than low-impact-factor journals? Attempting to shed light on the relationship between the journal impact factor and quality, a group of researchers, led by Anna Severin (University of Bern), have recently examined 10,000 peer review reports submitted to 1,644 medical and life sciences journals. They use artificial intelligence to analyze two measures proxying the peer review quality: thoroughness and helpfulness. While sentences covering topic categories, materials and techniques, presentation and reporting, outcomes and discussion, importance and relevance are employed to gauge thoroughness, sentences that provide recommendations and solutions, examples, praise, or criticism are used to estimate helpfulness.