By Luo Tao, Research Team on "Investment Mechanisms for Basic Research", Department of Techno-Economic Research of DRC

Research Report No 145, 2015 (Total 4830)

Abstract:

A science fund selects and examines research project applications by organizing peer review. The success of peer review depends on reviewers who can not only help a science fund to make advisable funding decisions but also help applicants to improve their research project applications. This paper focuses on analyzing how overseas science funds regulate reviewers to participate in peer reviewing by establishing a whole set of comparatively thorough mechanisms which include the following aspects: preparing and training reviewers; strictly selecting reviewers from multiple sources to match project applications and reviewers in a scientific and reasonable way; examining conflicts of interest among reviewers; setting up incentive mechanisms for reviewers; issuing timely announcements on reviewer lists, summarizing peer review on a regular basis, and introducing external supervision; sticking to the two bottom lines of integrity and confidentiality and severely punishing reviewers for violating them. Overseas reviewer systems for science fund are rigorous and standard and have positive implications for China's peer reviewing to increase its level and transparency and maintain its justice and equity.