Data & Policy has published a new editorial by the journal’s three Editors-in-Chief: Dr Zeynep Engin (Data for Policy CIC, and The Digital Statecraft Academy), Prof Jon Crowcroft (University of Cambridge & The Alan Turing Institute) and Dr Stefaan Verhulst (The GovLab, New York University). Drawing on their experience as editors, they look at the pressures facing academic peer review today and what journals can do about them.
The authors describe how several changes have come together to strain the system. Online publishing removed the natural limits on how much journals could publish. Academic careers still reward the number of papers over their depth. AI tools have made it easier to write and submit papers, but the quality of submissions has not risen with their number. Reviewers, who mostly give their time for free, are carrying more of the load.
The editorial argues that this is more than an administrative problem. Peer review is how a research community checks and builds knowledge. For a young, interdisciplinary field like data and policy, careful review also helps shape what good research in the field looks like.
The authors propose three ways forward:
- Encourage quality over quantity, for example by limiting how often one author can submit in a given period.
- Invest in careful editorial review before papers reach reviewers, with a qualified human editor making the final call.
- Respect reviewers’ time by sending them only papers that are ready for review and that match their expertise.
On AI, the editorial takes a clear position: AI tools can support screening, reviewer matching and feedback, but decisions on papers must stay with accountable human editors. Data & Policy plans to publish clear guidance on AI use for authors, reviewers and editors.
We want to hear from you
This editorial is the start of a conversation, and we want our community to be part of it. Do these challenges match your experience as an author, reviewer or editor? What would you like to see journals do differently?
Please share your comments and feedback by emailing us at team@dataforpolicy.org
Your views will help shape how Data & Policy responds to these questions.