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Peer review has been a core part of scholarly communication for a long time, and it remains one of the most important pillars of research integrity today. As the process evolves, so does the way we recognize and support the reviewers who make it possible, shaped in part by the history of peer review.
Below are the common, real-world initiatives we see across publishers and platform providers today, with links to examples and further reading.
Reviewer recognition platforms and awards
Many publishers and third-party platforms surface reviewer activity and reward top contributors with awards or public recognition (often cross-publishers). Examples include the Publons / Web of Science Reviewer Awards and Clarivate’s Reviewer Services that verify and showcase peer review activity. These programmes recognize reviewers publicly and produce annual “top reviewer” lists or awards.
ORCID peer-review deposits (claimable reviewer records)
Publishers and submission systems increasingly support depositing peer-review contributions into a reviewer’s ORCID record. This gives reviewers a verified, portable record of activity that can be used in CVs, grant applications, and promotion files. ORCID supports different visibility settings (ranging from anonymized to open), and deposits are handled by trusted organizations or partner platforms.
Publisher reviewer hubs, profiles and downloadable certificates
Several large publishers operate reviewer hubs or recognition pages where reviewers can view history, download certificates, claim benefits (discounts, access), and sometimes volunteer for other journals. These hubs make it easy for reviewers to get a formal acknowledgement of their work. Elsevier’s Reviewer Hub / Reviewer Recognition Platform is an example of this approach.
Article-level and reviewer badges (visible signals of review activity)
Some publishers/platforms add small badge indicators to article pages or reviewer profiles to show open peer review reports, number of rounds, or verification status. These badges act as quick, visual proof of transparency or review type. IOP Publishing introduced article badges that link to review histories, which helped popularize this approach.
Annual public “thank you” / reviewer acknowledgement lists
Many journals publish annual lists that publicly thank reviewers who opt in. These are simple but meaningful: they publicly acknowledge contributions and can be citable or linked from a reviewer’s profile. Examples include BMJ titles, MDPI journals, OUP journals, The Lancet, and many society publishers.
Certificates, discounts and tangible perks
Beyond visibility, some publishers offer concrete perks like reviewer certificates, journal subscriptions, discounts on APCs or books, or complimentary access to publisher content. These perks help convert recognition into tangible benefits (and can be automated through reviewer hubs). Springer Nature, Elsevier, and some society publishers run variations of these schemes.
Reviewer training, mentoring and accredited courses
Developing reviewers’ skills and credentials is an important form of recognition as well. Training programmes (formerly Publons Academy, now largely integrated into Web of Science Academy, plus publisher courses from Elsevier, Nature Masterclasses, Springer Nature, and others) provide certificates and help early-career researchers get started as reviewers.
Reviewer recognition is becoming a core part of how the scholarly community supports research integrity. These initiatives help create a more transparent and motivating environment for reviewers who play a critical role in maintaining the quality and trustworthiness of published research. As more publishers, societies, and platforms adopt structured approaches to acknowledging reviewer contributions, the ecosystem becomes stronger for everyone involved.
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