Onboarding Reviewers#

Since the pyOpenSci open peer review process is driven and led by volunteers, it is important that they are successfully onboarded.

For finding reviewers, please read the Finding Reviewers guide.

Below, we discuss processes for onboarding reviewers and making sure they are supported during the peer review process.

Inviting Reviewers#

If you’d like to, you can use the email template below to invite reviewers.

Dear [REVIEWER-Name],

Hi, this is [EDITOR-Name]. [FRIENDLY BANTER]. I'm writing to ask if you have time
to review a package for pyOpenSci. pyOpenSci has an open peer review of open source Python packages that support science. Accepted packages become a part of our pyOpenSci ecosystem of vetted community-adopted tools. Our review process is similar to that
of open journals however it focuses on ensuring high quality packaging approaches
that are inline with community adopted Python standards.

The package, [PACKAGE] by [AUTHOR(S)], does [FUNCTION]. You can find it on GitHub here: [REPO LINK]. We conduct our open review process via GitHub as well, here: [ONBOARDING ISSUE]

If you accept, note that we ask reviewers to complete reviews in three weeks (We’ve found it takes a similar amount of time to review a package as an academic paper.).

Our [reviewers guide](https://www.pyopensci.org/software-peer-review/how-to/reviewer-guide.html) details what we look for in a package review, and includes links to example reviews.
We also include a reviewer template on that page that you can use to guide your review. Our Python packaging standards are detailed in our [packaging guide](https://www.pyopensci.org/python-package-guide).

If you have time, please have a look at the package first, to make
sure that you do not have a conflict of interest with the package authors.

If you have questions or feedback, feel free to ask me.

{IF APPLICABLE: The authors have also chosen to jointly submit their package to the Journal of Open Source Software, so this package includes a short `paper.md` manuscript describing the software that we ask you include in your review.}

Are you able to review? If you can not, I welcome any suggestions that you
have for other reviewers. If I don't hear from you within a week, I will assume
that you are unable to review this package at this time.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

[EDITOR]

When inviting reviewers, include something like “If I don’t hear from you in a week, I’ll assume you are unable to review,” to give a clear deadline when you’ll move on to looking for someone else to keep the processing moving.

Peer Review Mentorship#

pyOpenSci encourages those who are newer to review to become involved in our open peer review process. As such, we offer a reviewer mentorship program where we pair a new reviewer with someone in the community who has previous review experience.

It is useful for reviewers to not only review the technical content of a package, but also to review the documentation and package installation process for usability.

If a new reviewer is interested in becoming a reviewer but would like some support, do the following:

  1. The Editor can lead the effort to find mentors for the new reviewers by posting in the #software-review Slack channel for help.

  2. If the Editor needs support in finding a mentor, they can contact the EiC or peer review lead for guidance.

Once a Mentor is Identified#

  1. Invite the new reviewer to our pyOpenSci Slack.

  2. Start a private DM group chat with the new reviewer and the mentor(s) so they are introduced.

  3. Let the review proceed from there.