ICES Experimental Economics Brown Bag Lecture
What Motivates Better Reviews? Behavioral Insights Into Peer Review
Friday, April 11, 2025 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT
Vernon Smith Hall (formerly Metropolitan Building), Room 5075
The Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science (ICES) presents an ICES Brown Bag Lecture featuring:
University of Goettingen
What Motivates Better Reviews? Behavioral Insights Into Peer Review
Abstract
The peer review system is essential to the quality and credibility of scientific research, yet it faces persistent challenges, including delays, low reviewer engagement, and inconsistent review quality. In this early-stage project, we conceptualize peer review as a public good and explore behavioral interventions to enhance both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for producing timely, high-quality reviews. Partnering with an academic conference where each submitter is asked to review papers matched by topic relevance, we propose a field experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of three types of interventions: (i) informational nudges (e.g., reciprocity framing and identity alignment), (ii) monetary incentives, and (iii) non-monetary incentives such as public recognition. The findings could inform future conference and journal practices by identifying scalable mechanisms to support and sustain high-quality peer review.
For more information about the Brown Bag Lectures, please visit the Brown Bag Schedule homepage.
