Problems caused by Reviewrs not registering a recommendation

[janer]

Hello,

We are approaching an upgrade of OJS (from 2.2.1. to latest version) soon, and a test site is running using 3-week old data. On our current working site, we have never managed to turn on the automated reviewer reminders at either the request or the overdue-review point of the review process, and this is one of the main aims of the upgrade on a new server site.

However, last week the test site had its automated reminders tested - they worked, and immediately shot out a shower of emails to people who had done reviews for us months ago (but whose papers were still 'live'). When I investigated why these people had received them, I realised it was because they had not entered a recommendation - ie, step 7 of the 7-stage process had not been completed - and that was also why the 'Acknowledge' icon had not become 'live'.

So, thinking about how we try and minimise this sort of thing happening in future, I am asking myself, why can't the system be amended so that a reviewer MUST enter a recommendation before they can close down the final screen. Has this been considered please (incidentally we use free-form reviews not a template - would changing to the latter help?) - and have you any other advice about managing the process to rule out unwanted emails?

Many thanks as always,

Janer

[jmacgreg]

Hi Janer,

Can you provide some detail on your review setup (see Journal Setup Step 2.2)? Specifically, whether this is a Standard or Email review process, and what you have checked under Reviewer Access? Also describing how your typical review workflow works would be helpful. I'm not quite sure what you mean by suggesting that reviewers must choose a recommendation before closing down the final screen -- in order for a review to be complete, the reviewer (or an Editor, from the submission's Review page) must actually choose a recommendation -- that's the only way for the review to be marked complete.

Cheers,
James

[janer]

Hi James,

This is using a standard review process, with boxes checked in Setup 2.2 to enable 1-click access, but reviewers only seeing the full paper once they have agreed to review it.

My query is prompted by those reviewers who just don't realise that they haven't completed their work once they enter their review text, and do not enter a Recommendation at Step 7. The problem I am trying to address isn't the editing one, as the Editors don't mind and can make their own choices from the review comments, but the practical one that the system then doesn't recognise that the review has been entered unless a Recommendation is entered, and, if the review has been sent in before the due date, the system continues to whizz off a reminder as that date passes, which naturally irritates the reviewers!

Thanks

Janer

[jmacgreg]

Hi Janer,

This is more or less expected behaviour -- those reviews need to be finalized/submitted somehow, and there's no good way for the system to automatically know when one has been finalized. (The system is set up so that reviewers can return and complete a review over any number of sessions.) If Editors are receiving an email or other notice that the reviewer's review is complete from outside the system, the Editors will then have to log in and mark that review as complete from the submission's Review page.

One possible bug (that I haven't actually tested for yet -- testing scheduled_tasks stuff is a tricky process) may be that and Editor decision doesn't automatically mark outstanding reviews as "complete" or something similar: an "accept" decision by the Editor should stop any further reminders from going out. If that looks to not be the case for you, please let me know and I can investigate further.

Cheers,
James