In an innovative response to the global pandemic, The MIT Press has unveiled Rapid Reviews: COVID-19 (RR:C19), a groundbreaking open access journal leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate peer review of COVID-19 research. This cutting-edge platform delivers real-time, verified scientific information crucial for policymakers and health leaders navigating the crisis.
With researchers worldwide generating an unprecedented volume of preprint scholarship about the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the need for rapid validation has become critical. Unlike traditional peer review processes that typically require four or more weeks, this AI-powered COVID-19 research review platform promises expert evaluations within days. Under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Stefano M. Bertozzi, professor and dean emeritus at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health, the initiative represents a significant advancement in scientific publishing.
The journal employs sophisticated machine learning for scientific publication validation, enabling a global team to identify promising research in preprint repositories, commission expert peer reviews, and publish findings on an open access platform with complete transparency. By embracing disciplinary and geographic diversity, RR:C19 will source manuscripts across all regions and fields, including medicine, public health, physical and biological sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Additionally, the platform offers a new publishing avenue for revised papers that receive positive reviews.
Amy Brand, director of the MIT Press, emphasizes the transformative potential of this no-cost open access model: "Implementing a peer-reviewed framework for preprints brings the level of rigor that clinicians, researchers, and decision-makers globally depend on during this unprecedented crisis. This initiative also serves as a proof-of-concept for innovative approaches to peer review and rapid publishing with broader applications beyond COVID-19."
Supported by a $350,000 grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and hosted on PubPub, an open-source publishing platform from the Knowledge Futures Group, RR:C19 aims to combat the spread of misinformation about COVID-19. This rapid peer review artificial intelligence journal represents a collaborative effort to enhance the quality and accessibility of scientific information during a global health emergency.
"The scientific community urgently needs efficient mechanisms to validate or debunk the rapidly expanding pool of COVID-19-related manuscripts on preprint servers," explains Bertozzi. "Our partnership with the MIT Press, the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, and the Knowledge Futures Group creates an innovative publishing model that can more effectively translate important scientific findings into action. We're also collaborating with COVIDScholar, an initiative of UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, to develop unique AI/machine learning tools capable of supporting the review of hundreds of preprints weekly."
Vilas Dhar, trustee of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, praises the initiative: "This project marks a breakthrough in academic publishing, combining urgency with scientific rigor to enable researchers worldwide to rapidly disseminate trustworthy discoveries. We're confident that RR:C19 will quickly become an indispensable resource for researchers, public health officials, and healthcare providers at the pandemic's frontlines. The potential for long-term transformation in how we evaluate and share research across all scientific disciplines is particularly exciting."
Commenting on the collaboration, Travis Rich, executive director of the Knowledge Futures Group, notes, "At a time when credibility is increasingly vital to societal well-being, we're delighted to partner with this innovative journal to expand the concept of reviews as first-class research objects, both on PubPub and as a model for others in the scholarly community."
RR:C19 will publish its initial reviews in July 2020 and is actively recruiting reviewers and contributors. For more information about this initiative and its distinguished editorial board, visit rapidreviewscovid19.mitpress.mit.edu.
