JBJS is pleased once again 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:

David Ring

Affiliation:

Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Years in practice: 20

How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?

I’ve been involved in research since medical school, helped my mentors such as Jesse Jupiter with reviews, and was given opportunities to review starting in residency. 

What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?

Get curious.  Each study tells a story.  First about the author’s values and concerns and how they arrived at their question.  Then about the scientific methods employed.  And whether the data and analysis are helpful to you and your patients.

Take it seriously and be generous.  Most orthopedic research is done by volunteers that want to make a difference.  Be generous and constructive in your assessments.  Also, realize that if there is an error or misinterpretation there is a potential for harm. Start with a set of base principles for health and make sure the manuscript meets up with those.

Reviewing is a civic duty that makes me a better scientist.  I learn so much from reviewing.

Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?

After finishing White Fragility, I moved on to The Broken Heart of America.  As a white male I have privilege and it’s helpful to know that privilege came from violence and by design.  I want to do my part to undo that and make amends.  I’m also reading The Social Animal, one of many bestselling books that serve as instruction manuals for your mind.  The gist is that the unconscious and irrational are more impactful than the rational.  My favorite in this genre is The Invisible Gorilla.

Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.

JBJS is pleased once again 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:

Leon S. Benson, MD

Affiliation:

Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, Glenview, Illinois

Years in practice: Thirty

How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?

I started reviewing for journals 15 years ago and began reviewing for the JBJS 13 years ago.

What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?

I think it is important to read the article, if possible, as soon as you receive the invitation (same day).  I often find that my opinions solidify after thinking about the manuscript for a few days.  If I read the article right away, I am afforded some time to be thoughtful without delaying the review for more than a week. 

Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?

Dead Wake by Erik Larsen

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

Hell’s Cartel by Diarmuid Jeffreys

Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.

JBJS is pleased once again 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:

Donald D. Anderson, PhD [most people call me by my nickname, “Don.”

Affiliation:

Department of Orthopedics & Rehabilitation, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Years in practice:

I am a full-time academic researcher, having completed my PhD in December 1989, which I guess means that I have “been in practice” for just over 30 years now.

How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?

I began accepting requests to review manuscripts immediately after finishing up my PhD. Over the years, the number of journals that rely on my reviewing talents has increased. Somewhere along the way, JBJS started reaching out, and saying “yes” to that invitation was a pretty easy decision.

What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?

Be generous with your time, especially when the manuscript you’re referred is from your area of expertise and the study sounds interesting. Okay to say “no” on occasion, but try to make that the exception. Then set a reminder for when the review is due and find a few hours to give it your full attention. Don’t sweat grammatical issues. Just tackle the big picture and technical points that occur to you.

Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?

I hate to admit it, but I read so much at work lately, that I don’t do much personal reading. However, I just picked up Isaac Asimov’s Foundation to re-read.

Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.

JBJS is pleased once again 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:

Jonathan Levy, MD

Affiliation:

Holy Cross Orthopaedic Institute

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

Years in practice: 14

How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?

Immediately after fellowship, I became interested in assisting in journal reviews.  There is no question, reviewing manuscripts and research makes me a better critical thinker, researcher, and author!

What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?

Review each article with the perspective as if it was your own manuscript.  Even if the manuscript represents research that you do not feel is fit for JBJS, there is value in your review.  Spend time to critique the manuscript in an effort to make it better!

Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?

Like most, I have been on top of the daily news more so now than ever before.  Editorials on COVID and the politics of this year have become entertaining!

Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.

JBJS is pleased once again 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:

Nitin Jain

Affiliation:

University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, USA

Years in practice: 10

How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?

I started reviewing during my research fellowship. Initially, I had my mentors “review” my reviews to know that I was on the right track. JBJS is the premier orthopedic journal and I started seriously reviewing it during residency. I have overall enjoyed their rigorous review process. The review process is not perfect but the journal strives to be fair and give due consideration to every manuscript.

What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?

Reviewing is time consuming and usually performed on personal time. However, it is the cornerstone of our ability in orthopedics/musculoskeletal medicine to produce good science.

Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?

Physical medicine and rehabilitation research

Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.

JBJS is pleased once again 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 O. Newton, MD

Affiliation:

Rady Children’s Hospital, University of California, San Diego

Years in practice: 25

How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?

I have been reviewing articles for as long as I can remember. If you submit papers for publication, I believe there is a duty to participate in the review process.

What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?

Drop your own biases and beliefs and review the paper based on science. It’s too easy to be critical of findings that don’t align with your own concepts, and vice versa, to give credence to poorly done studies that confirm your own beliefs.

Give the paper a quick read, then go back and provide the detailed review and critique needed to make the paper better (assuming there are not fatal flaws in the methods). The review process can absolutely enhance the quality of the manuscript. I know my own submitted papers have been improved by thoughtful critical reviews, and I hope I have helped others in the same way.

Critical does not mean condescending; there is no place for such language in the review process. Say “no” to a review request you can’t handle and get the ones you say “yes” to done on time. Know how long it takes to do the job well and be sure you have time before saying yes.

Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?

Do emails count?

Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.

JBJS is pleased once again 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:

Allan Gross

Affiliation:

Mount Sinai Hospital

Years in practice: 40

How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?

Request

What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?

Be on time and give short reviews.

Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?

Texts.

Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.

In honor of Peer Review Week, JBJS is pleased once again 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:

Thomas A. DeCoster, M.D.

Affiliation:

University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM

Years in practice: 35

How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?

JBJS by invitation from another reviewer (Dr. Tom Grace) across town.

Reviewing in general by invitation from Dr. Jody Buckwalter who instilled in me the value of the peer review process and reviewing manuscripts as a service to orthopedics and for personal advancement.

What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?

Review in a prompt scientific manner, focusing on basic concepts like logic.

Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?

Nick Faldo: A Swing for Life.  The arms connected to the chest for chip shots in particular.

Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.

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 A Cole, MD, FAOA

Division Medical Director, HealthPartners Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine

Program Medical Director, HealthPartners Trauma Network

Orthopaedic Trauma Director, Regions Hospital

Professor, University of Minnesota

Affiliation:

Regions Hospital – HealthPartners, St. Paul, MN

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Years in practice: Since 1998 – 21 years

How did you begin reviewing for other journals and for JBJS in particular?

I think the reviewer invitations began to arrive after I began thematic publishing back in the early 2000’s.  Thematic publishing means consecutive publications on the same topic.  My own publishing themes included minimally invasive fracture care, complex scapular trauma, and fracture pattern mapping for example. Perhaps, editors use this threshold of success in the peer review process as the qualification for a successful reviewer. I believe achievement in thematic publishing has more to do with being invited, than networking, committee or political positions, or being a nice person, though these things help.

What is your top piece of advice for those reviewers who aspire to reach Elite status?

Thoughtful, structured, scientific, timely reviews—period.  No one quality alone is good enough, not even 3 out of 4.  I review for three journals consistently, and others on a selective case by case basis.  I have rejected many offers to be a journal reviewer in order to protect the integrity of the main three I have chosen.  It is hard to turn down experts and friends in order to keep the main thing the main thing.

Aside from orthopaedic manuscripts, what have you been reading lately?

I read and study The Bible consistently, if not daily—as the primary source of wisdom and personal growth.  I enjoy books on entrepreneurialism, leadership, spiritual growth and an occasional biography.

Learn more about the JBJS Elite Reviewers program.