Welcome to the Reviewer Drive for the Citizen Science: Theory and Practice (CSTP) Journal! 

As the scientific journal of the Citizen Science Association (soon to be known as the Association for Advancing the Participatory Sciences), CSTP serves as the lead international publication that promotes exchanges, understanding and advancement in our field. Community is foundational to the CSTP Journal, and we depend on researchers, practitioners, evaluators and others to actively participate. The Journal depends on volunteer involvement, and we need YOU to be part of the CSTP Journal ecosystem, whether as readers, reviewers, authors,  editors.

We need more CST reviewers. The 2023 Reviewer Driver goal is 200 reviewers who register on the CSA website (just click here!) before December 31, 2023 and in doing so commit to review one Journal submission in 2024.

CSTP reviewers come from all sectors and across the globe, not just academia nor the US. We need all hands on deck, for all regions of the world, and welcome your unique perspective and expertise as a CSTP reviewer. We are seeking reviewers who are project leaders, educators, evaluators, researchers, and others involved in our field. If you dedicate time and energy to the participatory sciences, we need your perspective and expertise as a CSTP reviewer. If you have had an article reviewed for the CSTP Journal, then we hope you will consider giving back by serving as a reviewer. Feeling unsure about the reviewing process? No problem! We will hold reviewer workshops in early 2024 to guide new and even experienced reviewers through the process. You will learn about maintaining confidentiality, critically and efficiently reading a manuscript and writing a useful review, and using the CSTP/Ubiquity Press online journal management system to submit your review. Just click here to register and provide your reviewing interests – it only takes a few minutes! 

Here are some reasons to become a reviewer:

1 – Demonstrate commitment to your profession

Shaping and advancing our field is a collective effort and part of that happens through the output of the CSTP Journal. Reviewers are integral to producing new knowledge and practice within our field. Reviewers help ensure high quality articles that are compelling to members of our community. If you’ve submitted journal papers, you’ll have already been the beneficiary of other people’s reviews and their commitment to your profession. This is the perfect time to give back!

2 – Improve your professional skills and explore your interest in the participatory sciences

You can access and read all papers in CSTP for free, but the best way to experience the depth of any paper is to review it. Reviewers read manuscripts and offer confidential and critical feedback to initial and follow-up drafts . In doing so, reviewers become familiar with hot topics and new approaches, and get a behind-the-scenes view of revisions and refinements that result in high-quality articles. As a reviewer, you will gain skills on efficiently reading journal articles and writing successful submissions. And, you can list your role on your CV/resume and any promotional materials.

3 – Express your commitment to CSA

For-profit publishers own and operate many journals, and their reviewers help publishers make a profit. By contrast, CSTP is part of the non-profit CSA and provides free access to all published articles. We rely on volunteers to review submitted manuscripts to make publishing high-quality open source articles as affordable as possible. Your volunteer service as a reviewer will help CSTP meet its goals to advance the field of participatory sciences and provide free and open access to all.  

4 – Receive some swag and enter a raffle for a prize

10 people who register to serve as reviewers will be eligible to win a free print copy of A Field Guide to Citizen Science: How You Can Contribute to Scientific Research and Make A Difference (Timber Press)

10 people who register for reviewing will be eligible to win a free tote bag with the new Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences logo.

Details on registering

Registering as a reviewer is simple. Just click the below link and follow the two steps:

 https://account.theoryandpractice.citizenscienceassociation.org/index.php/up-j-cstp/user/register

When you create an account, or update your existing account, go to your Profile and the Roles tab and then complete these TWO STEPS: 

Step 1: check the Reviewer box. 

Step 2: Add Reviewing Interests. This step is essential so that the editorial team can call upon you to review when a manuscript with matching interests is submitted. Examples of Reviewer Interests include “project design, volunteer training, statistical analysis of data, _____-focused projects (such as human health, birds, weather and more), evaluation, and theory-building.”

To be eligible for the raffle, you must check the Reviewer box AND provide Reviewing Interests. 

Thanks for all your support and hard work in our field. 

If you have questions, contact Associate Editor-in-Chief, Caren Cooper, <cbcoope3@ncsu.edu>

Posted on: November 14, 2023  |  Category: Blog, CSA Blog, Journal, News, Uncategorized