Excellence in Peer Review: Reviewer Training Network
Peer review plays a key role in the dissemination of scholarly research output, and at Taylor & Francis we work to establish and sustain the highest standards of peer review. A vital part of this means ensuring that reviewers have the right resources and skills to carry out their work efficiently and effectively.
Our Excellence in Peer Review: Taylor & Francis Reviewer Training Network was launched in 2019 to support researchers in becoming more effective peer reviewers. This training network aims to give clear practical advice to researchers to improve the quality of the reviews they provide, as well as introducing the key principles to those who are newer to the review process.
Read this page to learn more about the training that is available, and how we are connecting new peer reviewers with journals to develop their skills.
Expert peer review training

Our Excellence in Peer Review: Reviewer Training Network provides free live workshops on all aspects of peer review. The workshops are available in English and Chinese, and are tailored to different subject areas.
All researchers are welcome to register for the trainings.
We also have online training modules that provide guidance on how to critically assess an article. Each module is only 3-5 minutes in length and are available to complete whenever suits you best.
Links with our journals: providing peer review opportunities
Linking you to journals in your subject area is a unique follow-up that we offer to participants in our training network. This is a fantastic opportunity to try out and hone your skills as a reviewer on articles, and receive feedback. After you have gained experience and received feedback and support, you will become certified as an experienced reviewer.
How does it work?
Based on your research and experience, you will be linked with journals in an appropriate subject area
Your details will be shared with the journal editor
You will be invited as a reviewer for relevant articles
You will receive expert feedback on your first 2-3 reviews
You will be certified as an experienced reviewer
More than 100 journals are now working with the Excellence in Peer Review: Taylor & Francis Reviewer Training Network and are offering practical peer review experience to trained reviewers.
How do I sign up?
We have a responsibility to the journals taking part in our Reviewer Training Network to make sure that the peer reviewers have completed the training program and have enough knowledge to take on the reviewer role effectively.
We have built a quiz to test your knowledge. If you complete this quiz successfully then you will be invited to register your details as a volunteer.
5 minutes to know peer review
Watch our series of videos with expert editors and find out what they need from a peer review report.
Dr. Rod Barber
Dr. Rod Barber is full professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at The University of Sydney. He is also the editor-in-chief of Claimacteric.
Watch video hereDr. Rakesh Kumar
Dr. Rakesh Kumar is the Distinguished Professor and National Chair in Cancer Research at one of the Federal Govt Research Institution in India, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, while holding adjunct professorships at the VCU School of Medicine – Richmond and NJ Medical School – Newark. He is also the section editor of Annals of Medicine to supervise all aspects of the peer-review and decision-making process for manuscripts submitted to the Oncology Section.
Watch video hereDr. Lena Ma
Dr. Lena Ma is a professor at the School of Environment and Resources, Zhejiang University, she was a former Lifetime Professor at University of Florida and Nanjing University. Currently, she serves as the Chief Editor of Critical Review in Environmental Science and Technology.
Watch video hereDr. Xin Cheng
Dr. Xin Cheng is the Professor of Dept of Histology & Embryology, Medical School, Jinan University. She is also the associate editor of Medical Education Online.
Watch video here