JBJS is pleased to highlight our Elite Reviewers. The Elite Reviewers Program recognizes our best reviewers for their outstanding efforts. All JBJS reviewers help us maintain the highest standards for quality orthopaedic publishing.
Name: Peter G. Passias, M.D., MSc.
Affiliation:
NYU Medical Center / NY Spine Institute
NY, NY. U.S.A.
Years in practice: 9
How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?
I first started reviewing for several years as an invited reviewer for several spine journals including Spine, Neurosurgery, Journal of Biomechanics, Journal of Neurosurgery, The Spine Journal, among others. After years of service I was graced with the opportunity to review for JBJS with an invite from the Editor Andrew Schoenfeld, M.D., who is a great thought leader in our field.
What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?
My opinion is that it is not about just coming up with the appropriate response as to whether a rejection, revision or acceptance is indicated. It is primarily about providing a thorough structured review of the hypothesis, study design, and execution and presentation of the study being reviewed, based upon what we consider the acceptable recommendations for a bias-free supported conclusion in a manuscript. That being said, many of the manuscripts fall under the category of revisable and potentially acceptable. In these circumstances, it is imperative to provide the authors with a structured point by point recommendation of how the study at hand can be improved to an acceptable version.
Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?
I always make it a point to review top clinically relevant articles, on a weekly basis, in the field of spinal research from top orthopaedic, neurosurgery, and biomechanical journals in terms of impact. Following that, I always peruse NEJM, JAMA, and LANCET for any surgical related articles that have met criteria for acceptance. Lastly, I stay abreast in the field of spine related health economics by reading several business-oriented spine publications, including Beckers among others.
Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.