Discursive Violence in Peer Review

Discursive violence refers to the use of language and discourse in ways that marginalize, silence, or otherwise harm individuals or groups. In the context of peer review, discursive violence can manifest through harsh, dismissive, or biased feedback that undermines the author’s work or personal identity. But is this discursive violence or adherence to peer review principles such as impartiality, reflexivity, and proximity? That's the goal of this research. Using linguistic and other features I am developing a simple tool to help authors, reviewers, and editors identify discursive violence in peer reviews. I'd like to test with real-life reviews, especially ones that may be construed as "negative" or "critical." I invite you to use this anonymous form to submit one or more reviews. Ethical peer review is at the heart of the knowledge production enterprise and communication (dialog) – the sharing of information – is its life-giving breath. Thank you for helping us improve scholarly communication in Library and Information Science. Anita Coleman, PhD.