Researchers evolve with practice - as Authors, Editors, and Reviewers - to master the art of writing and communication. Let's understand the basic difference between them.
Researchers love to cook up an invention, serve up the 'findings,' and light up your research sense. However, the most enjoyable (not for all!) yet grueling (definitely for most!) part of the entire treat is penning down the recipe and writing the reviews.
Remember a master cook is known for authenticity, simplicity, and the ability to stir up nostalgia and treat in all senses.
Researchers, be authentic in your methods, simple in communication, and bring impactful changes.
The social. moral and ethical responsibility of researcher is to communicate their research methods and outcomes. There are two types of communication - inreach and outreach
Inreach science communication
When the research & its findings are communicated as scientific reports in technical (jargon) language that his/her peers or science community follow, they are referred as inrech communication.
- Research articles, research posters & flyers, books or chapters, reviews & case studies graphical abtsract, scientoons are examples of these.
- The information shared helps the research peers to modify a specific technique/ interpret their result better or find a perfect collaborator.
Outreach science communication
When the research& its findings are communicated in a non-technical language (jargon-less or hargon-nill) for non-science community in simple terms that even a school kid can understand is termed outreach science communication
- Scientoons, graphic abstract, infographics, creative posters, lay-summaries are examples of these.
- The information shared ensures the lay-publichow the said research results will bring impact and positive change to their lives & nature.
Jargon can fire up the first group (research community) but will fizzle out with the second (lay-public).
Authors are the prinicpal investigator who write and communicate the findings.
Editors help in restructuring and reframing the author's write-up sentences without removing the concept's identity and essence. An editor can be a research peer, a friend, or an assigned editor of a publication house who may or may not be the subject expert of the work.
Reviewers are subject experts and can be referred to as "editors with a higher-purpose," so the name peer-review. They guide the researcher to improve their methodology, rework specific areas to deliver impactful research, and communicate better.
Editors and reviewers are a part of the journal publication or editorial house and have absolutely no role in the research work that the author is writing about.
There are three kinds of peer-review systems
Single-blind where the author(s) has no clue about who is reviewing their work
Double-blind peer-review mode is when both parties-author and review- is unaware of each other's identity
Open peer-review is when both parties - who are getting reviewed? & who is reviewing ?- are aware of each other
There are also three kinds of peer-review processes
Transparent – in this process, the review report gets tagged with the published article. The identity of the reviewer may or may not be shared (at the reviewer's discretion)
Collaborative- authors and reviewer or multiple reviews work together to perfect the article
Post Publication- In this review process, the comments/suggestions are submitted by the readers' post-publication. These suggestions help the author understand how peers and stakeholders perceive their work and what improvements should be implemented.
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