Peer review is a conversation with several participating parties, so it's important to be clear on all the key players:
- Author(s) who created the work under review.
- Editor who decided whether to send the article out for review.
- The 2-3 external reviewers who provide feedback.
- The editorial board that selected the editor, and may be called upon to provide recommendations to the editor if an article is contentious.
- The publisher that circulates the journal may try to shape the output of a journal.
- The copy-editing staff may change the prose, and accidentally the overall meaning, during the final editing process.
Every party involve brings their own expertise and unintended biases to the process.
