The influence of peer reviewers as literacy brokers on the construction of texts for publication in ISI-indexed journals: A study of medical research articles

This study focused on the “text histories,” peer reviewers’ comments, and authors’ responses of 20 medical research articles published in ISI indexed journals. To identify the types of comments peer reviewers frequently make on submitted articles to shape suitable texts for publication in medical ISI indexed journals, 368 comments are categorized into four groups. The results revealed that peer reviewers’ comments can be categorized into four different classes: Comments made with regard to scientific issues, language issues, discourse and text organization, and journal format. The comments mainly focused on scientific and language use problems. In detail, classification of comments can help novice and periphery researchers successfully uncover the reviewers’ comments, publish their articles in reputable journals, and disseminate their knowledge among others.

Keywords: Discourse, ISI indexed journals, medical research articles, peer reviewers, text histories