To the Editor: Dr Ross and colleagues1 provided evidence that the likelihood of acceptance of abstracts submitted for presentation at the American Heart Association annual scientific sessions was affected by the type of peer review. There was a higher percentage of abstracts accepted from authors from the United States, other English-speaking countries, and prestigious academic institutions with open rather than blinded peer review. They conclude that adoption of blinded peer review by scientific research meetings is a reasonable, low-cost intervention with substantial benefit and that future research should evaluate the effect of blinded peer review on manuscript reviewer bias.
However, their findings may not lead to these conclusions because they did not directly assess and compare the quality of research submitted in the form of abstracts by authors of different countries and institutions. Although it is perhaps challenging to perform, this would be the only way to derive a conclusion regarding the existence of a geographical and institutional reviewer bias.
Ross et al note several factors that may lead to considerable difference in the quality of research by authors from different countries and institutions. Knowing the identity of the authors and their institutions and, thus, being able to consider variables such as the quality record of previous publications and information regarding sponsorship and research funding may actually be beneficial in performing a fair and effective evaluation of research.
At a time of need for more openness in the peer review process, practices that provide as fair an evaluation of abstracts and manuscripts as possible should be supported. For example, peer reviewers may improve the quality of their evaluations if they are given feedback regarding their evaluation and how it compares with those of others. This may increase reviewers' awareness of various biases that may lead to unfair and ineffective review. In addition, openly signing the peer review may discourage reviewers from reacting based on biases. Finally, international meetings may modify their policies by readjusting the proportion of reviewers from various countries and institutions.
Financial Disclosures: None reported.
Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature
Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal
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