1. The Peer Review Process as
Performance Art
Mary Ann Naumann
Research & Reference Librarian
Pepperdine University Libraries

2. Peer Review Play
• What my hack is
• How you can do it too
• What I’ve learned so far

3. Two
interests
collide …

4. … or
perhaps
happily
converge

5. Open Peer Review
• Reviewers' names are included on the peer
review reports
• If the manuscript is published, the reports are
made available online along with the final
version of the manuscript
BioMed Central’s Definition

7. Reviewer Delia West’s Comments

8. The Peer Review Play
Hacks Three Things:
• Repurposes something freely available (the
article, reviewers’ comments, authors’
responses) into a unique teaching tool
• Shifts the tempo of my class
• Changes up my and my students’ roles in the
class

9. Creating a Peer Review Play
• Find an open access, open peer review article (try
BioMed Central and BMJ Open)
• Print out copies of the abstract, reviewers’
comments, and authors’ responses
• Consider what commentary you, as the narrator, would
like to interject during the play
• Highlight and number the printouts to create a script
• Research the authors and reviewers to create mini-bios
for use as introductions to your play
• Create a PowerPoint presentation with images from
the script so the audience can easily follow along

10. Performance of the Peer Review Play
• Solicit volunteers from class to form your cast
• Provide a brief description of what your play is
about and what your cast will be doing
• Introduce the characters (using bios with an
emphasis on credentials)
• Let the action begin!
• Follow play with discussion of what has been
learned

11. What I’ve Learned So Far
It’s fun!
Students got it & were engaged
Unexpected & insightful student
comments and questions

12. For more information and links to resources:
infoguides.pepperdine.edu/peer-review-play