The Reviewer of the Month for May 2023: Dr. Paul H. Lee

Peer review is an essential part of the scientific publishing process, helping to ensure that research papers meet high standards of quality and accuracy. Each month, the BiomolBiomed Editorial team recognizes a reviewer who has provided thoughtful and constructive feedback on the reviewed manuscript.

This month, we’re pleased to announce that the Reviewer of the Month Award goes to Paul H. Lee, PhD, an Associate Professor of Medical Statistics at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, University of Southampton. Dr. Lee’s reviews stood out for their exceptional quality, providing authors with valuable feedback that helped improve their research's clarity and rigor.

We sat down with Dr. Lee to learn more about his approach to peer review and his thoughts on the current state of the publishing industry.  Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

Q: What are your current research interests?
A: My research focuses on biostatistics, physical activity and health, and epidemiological methods.

Q: What do you think is the most important aspect of the peer review process?
A: Peer-review process is critical in accessing the suitability and quality of a manuscript, however the invitations journals are sending out are becoming more and more unmanageable. I am receiving at least 3-4 invitations every day and I must turn down a large amount of them simply because of the lack of time. The same experience happens when I am acting as an editorial board member; on average I need to send out 15-20 invitations to receive one reviewer report. A more efficient way to peer review is needed.

We’re thrilled to honor Dr. Lee as our Reviewer of the Month, and we’re grateful for his contributions to the scientific community. We hope that his example will inspire other reviewers to aspire for excellence in their work, and that it will encourage everyone to value the peer review process as an essential part of the scientific publishing ecosystem.