Peer review—the “who” and the “how”

In an earlier editorial, we gave recognition to 227 persons who reviewed manuscripts for Tobacco Control from late 1993 to the end of 1995.1 Appended to this editorial is another list of 227 individuals—those who reviewed papers for the journal as outside referees or co-editors in 1996 and 1997. This list includes those who reviewed papers for two special supplements to the journal which were published in 1997.2-3 As usual, we express our appreciation to them all, as the quality of the journal depends on the vital service they perform.

In a 1993 editorial I explained how we performed peer review at that time.4 We have used a rigorous peer-review process since the inception of the journal, but that process has been refined and strengthened in recent years. So I’ll take this opportunity to explain how we now conduct peer review at Tobacco Control.

The most significant change is the use of an editorial committee which makes consensus decisions on papers submitted to the journal. The committee, modelled after a similar committee used by theBMJ, is often referred to internally as the “hanging committee”. That name did not originate from the macabre meaning of the word “hang”; rather, it is borrowed from the Royal Academy of Arts in London, which has used a “hanging committee” to decide which paintings to hang on its walls (personal communication from Dr Richard Smith, editor of BMJ).

Before 1997, I myself made interim and final decisions on papers—whether to accept or reject them, or to send them back to authors for revisions. Those decisions were aided by comments from peer reviewers and recommendations made by senior and associate editors. Beginning with papers submitted in January 1997, editorial decisions have been made by our three-member hanging committee, consisting …