Refereeing for peer-reviewed journals is something that most of us see as "part of the job". We expect our own papers to be refereed with care, and in a timely manner. Not surprisingly, though, any journal editor will tell you that finding willing and conscientious referees is not an easy task.
As an Editor, Associate Editor, and Editorial Board member of several journals, I'm always on the look-out for good referees. In particular, I'm one of three Co-Editors of The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development. We publish 6 issues a year, have a double-bind refereeing process, and have an acceptance rate of around 12%.
I handle about a third of the 300 or so submissions we receive each year and, as you'd expect, most of the papers that I deal with have a strong empirical component.
I'm always in need of enthusiastic referees with expertise in time-series econometrics, VAR modelling, modelling with panel data, spatial econometrics, and CGE modelling. In fact, anyone who has strong skills in econometrics and an interest in trade and development would be of great assistance.
So, if you would be interested in being added to our "talent bank", this is your big opportunity!
Being in our database is not a commitment - just an expression of interest. All of our submissions, editorial correspondence, and refereeing are handled very efficiently through ScholarOne, and I'd love to have your assistance from time to time.
If this interests you, then you can either register here, or else email me at dgiles@uvic.ca and I'll sign you up.
© 2012, David E. Giles
Dave, I wonder if you could should any light on how one goes about "volunteering" for other journals. My area is far from trade/development, but I always think it would be interesting to do more referee work (usually, I am just requested to referee for journals which I have published in and/or know someone on the editorial board).
ReplyDeleteHi - One thing that you could do is to look for journals that interest you, and which use a fully electronic submission/ reviewing system, such as ScholarOne. Then, register yourself as a "user" on the site. This will put all of your information, including areas of expertise, etc. into the database that the editors will search (by keyword) when looking for suitable referees. Of course, this won't be their only source of referees - there are personal contacts, word of mouth, etc. However, it's the best way to volunteer, and once you get a couple of helpful reports done in a timely manner, you can be sure that you will get more requests.
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