Are you looking to gain experience with peer review of scientific manuscripts? After two very successful editions, EGU is once again offering our Members FREE Peer Review Training!

Peer review relies on the voluntary work of scientists and remains the most important quality control mechanism available in scientific publishing. However, Early Career Scientists (ECS) without prior peer review experience often have doubts: ‘Should I accept the editor’s invitation?’, ‘Do I have enough expertise to evaluate someone else’s work?’, ‘What makes a good review?’, ‘How can I give constructive feedback without being overly critical?’, ‘What can I bring to peer review that Artificial Intelligence cannot?’, and ‘How should I handle ethical issues like plagiarism or predatory journals?’

The EGU Peer Review Training is an excellent opportunity for ECS to clarify these and other questions and gain confidence in acting as peer reviewers. It is designed to provide hands-on experience via interactive sessions, in which participants can review real manuscripts submitted to the EGU Journals with the guidance of EGU editors. Review reports written by the participants can be posted on EGUsphere and count as official reviews. In addition to the practical experience, everyone who successfully completes the training gets a certificate and is automatically added to the Copernicus Referee Database!

Training Schedule:

The training consists of three online sessions on 8, 15, and 29 September. All sessions will start at 16:00 CEST.

Session 1: 8 September, 16:00 CEST, 60 minutes:
Overview of the peer review process, followed by an introduction to multi-stage open peer review in EGU journals. At the end of this session, you will be assigned a manuscript with relation to your relevant EGU journal.
Homework: Draft a review on your assigned manuscript.

Session 2: 15 September, 16:00 CEST, 90 minutes:
In this interactive session, you will have the opportunity to address any doubts you may have regarding peer review in your relevant journal. Group discussions with editors of EGU journals in breakout rooms will provide guidance on journal-specific review criteria.
Homework: Refine your review draft.

Session 3: 29 September, 16:00 CEST, 60 minutes:
You will receive personalised feedback on your report from your peers and from editors of EGU journals and learn how to upload it to EGUsphere. After session 3 you will have everything you need to submit your first review and we encourage you, as graduates of this program, to become active peer reviewers in your field of expertise.

Benefits of participating:

• Gain confidence in scientific reviewing
• Learn about the open peer review process in EGU journals and general features of peer review
• Get the answers to your questions
• Upon successfully completing the course, participants will be added to the Copernicus Referee Database

Members apply free, today!

If you wish to participate, please complete this application form by 31 July 2025. Only EGU Members can apply to participate in this workshop and attendees will be shortlisted by the EGU Publications Committee, selected by their answers on the form and successful applicants will be emailed with further information after the deadline has passed.

Read about a participant’s experience from a previous year’s training here.

If you have any questions, please email the EGU Editorial Manager Eduardo Queiroz Alves.

• EGU Publications Committee
• EGU Open Access Journals