From: "John P. Abbott" <[log in to unmask]> Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:18:30 -0500 From: Sean Andrews <[log in to unmask]> > I think the author's point is that this is a cop out when a colleague > is asking for your help in what continues to be a widely accepted > enterprise. In this case, the labor may ultimately benefit large > publishing houses, but on a different scale, it is also benefiting > your colleagues, your discipline, etc. Any benefit to a large publishing house islikely not what is afoot in a decline in the numbers of those willing to act as peer-reviewers. The issue is more likely found in the the current rewards structure in the university. Contributions to the discipline through peer-review were once seen as important work and rewarded. Must less so now. Holding an Editor post is continues to be well-regarded and there is a big gold-star in it. A place on a journal's Board has some merit. Both place the university's name on the front pages (in the paper journal world...). Being in the blind peer-review pool is worth less now, other than in the highest-tier of journals. It is largely anonymous work, time- consuming if done well, and unrewarded other than getting a warm feeling and having an opportunity occasionally to have an early glimpse of interesting work. With finite time available, a faculty member is better served to work on grants, presentations, articles, and networking with subdiscipline colleagues. All that brings more reward to their c.v. at evaluation time. A c.v. line saying: Manuscript peer-reviewer, Journal of ____________ receives little notice. But, then again, maybe what drives this decline in rewards for reviewing is indeed that it is perceived by the rewards system as freebie work for large profitable corporations rather than a indigent scholarly society. Perhaps administrators and colleagues wonder if anyone but a benighted fool would give away their time and intellectual treasure for apparently nothing. Such is the neo-Ayn Rand world of today? John John P. Abbott, MS MSLS Associate Professor & Coordinator, Collection Management University Library Appalachian State University ASU Box 32026