Peer Review & Scientific Publishing Certification

The Peer Review & Scientific Publishing Certification is a free intermediate-level, 20-minute skill test from Science of Apps. It tests peer review and scientific publishing — how journals handle submissions, editorial triage and the peer review workflow, single-blind, double-blind, open and post-publication review, writing a constructive referee report, judging methods, statistics and reproducibility, reporting guidelines such as CONSORT and the EQUATOR network, authorship criteria under ICMJE, conflicts of interest, research misconduct and COPE guidance, preprints, open access models and licences, predatory journals, retractions and corrections, research assessment under DORA, and the use of AI in writing and reviewing — written for 2026 and 2027. Score 70% or more on its 20 questions to earn a verifiable Peer Review & Scientific Publishing certificate (SOA-PRSP). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Core practices and ethical guidelines for peer reviewers (Committee on Publication Ethics), Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work (ICMJE), Crossref: DOIs, metadata and Crossmark (Crossref) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Science of Apps offers a free Peer Review & Scientific Publishing Certification, written for 2026 and 2027. It tests journals and the review process, reviewing a manuscript, ethics, authorship and integrity and open science and the publishing ecosystem with 20 original scenario questions in all, each naming its published source; you get an instant score and a verifiable certificate with a credential ID you can add to LinkedIn.

Read the four skill areas on this page, then take the 20-minute test online — no fee, course or sign-up. You see every answer explained when you finish. Score 70% or more and you get a Peer Review & Scientific Publishing certificate straight away, on screen, as a PDF and by email, with a credential ID anyone can verify.

Yes. The questions are original scenarios written by Science of Apps, and each one is based on a public source you can read: Core practices and ethical guidelines for peer reviewers (Committee on Publication Ethics); Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work (ICMJE); Crossref: DOIs, metadata and Crossmark (Crossref); CONSORT 2010 Statement for reporting randomised trials (CONSORT Group); San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA); Authorship and AI tools (Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)). The source is shown under each question and linked in the answer review. Science of Apps doesn't copy questions from other tests.

Four skill areas with five questions each, drawn from a bank of 10 per area so a retake brings new questions: Journals and the Review Process (Submission and triage, Review models and Editorial decisions); Reviewing a Manuscript (Assessing methods, Statistics and reproducibility and Writing the report); Ethics, Authorship and Integrity (Authorship, Conflicts of interest and Misconduct and corrections); Open Science and the Publishing Ecosystem (Preprints and open access, Predatory journals and Research assessment and AI). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

PhD student or early-career researcher, Journal reviewer or editor, Research integrity or publishing professional, Clinician or scientist who publishes and Research manager or librarian. It suits students at leading universities, career switchers and experienced professionals who want quick, verifiable proof of Peer Review & Scientific Publishing knowledge in 2026 and 2027.

Pre-med, public-health and biotech students (Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Karolinska, Oxford, Duke) increasingly enter industry and policy roles. Passing earns a founder-signed Science of Apps certificate with a credential ID and QR code that recruiters can verify.

A short summary of the paper, an assessment of whether the methods support the conclusions, specific major and minor concerns, and constructive suggestions — written respectfully and without revealing confidential content.

Substantial contribution to the work, drafting or critically revising it, final approval of the version to be published, and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. All four must be met.

Yes. The test is online, in English and free everywhere — people take it from India, the US, the UK, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Your certificate is dated with your own local date and can be verified from anywhere at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/.

20 questions — 5 from each of 4 skill areas — with a 20-minute limit. You need 70% (14 of 20) to pass and 90% for distinction.

We rate it Intermediate: assumes hands-on experience in the role. It has 20 scenario questions — 5 from each of 4 skill areas — and a 20-minute limit. You need 70% (14 of 20) to pass and 90% for distinction.

Nothing. There is no fee to take a test, to receive the certificate, to have it emailed or to verify it, and no sign-up.

On our server, not in your browser. The answers never reach the page until you submit, so a certificate can only be earned by passing. Each certificate gets a unique credential ID stored by Science of Apps.

You see your score for each area and every question with the correct answer and why, with the published source behind it. You can retake after 30 minutes, and the retake draws questions you haven't seen yet.

No. Every certificate is dated, so it always shows when you passed. Retake a test any time for a newer date or a higher score.

Yes. After you pass, Add to LinkedIn opens the Licenses & certifications form with the certificate name, Science of Apps as the issuer, the issue date, your credential ID and the verification link filled in. You can also download it as a PDF or PNG, and it's emailed to you as a PDF.

Every certificate has a credential ID and a QR code. Scanning it, or entering the ID at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/, shows the holder's name, the certification, the score and the issue date from our records.

No. They are Science of Apps' own assessments of applied skill. They aren't issued by a university or standards body, and they work best alongside a portfolio that shows the skills in real work.