Peer Review Week (PRW) 2026 will be held from September 14–18, 2026, bringing together the global scholarly community to examine the theme “Peer Review Capacity: Volume, Speed, and Quality.”
The theme reflects growing pressures across the research ecosystem. Rising submission volumes and expectations for faster decision‑making are placing increasing demands on peer review systems, which must balance efficiency with quality and integrity. The focus for 2026 is on how the community can respond to these challenges while sustaining trust and fairness in scholarly communication.
The process of selecting the theme began with an internal poll among Steering Committee members, generating more than 30 proposals. These were consolidated into four options and, for the first time, presented to the wider community through a live global poll hosted on the Peer Review Week website between March 9 and April 15, 2026. This approach enabled broader geographic participation and real‑time engagement, supported by partner organizations that helped extend outreach across networks worldwide.
The poll recorded 2,115 votes, the highest participation in PRW history. Peer Review Capacity: Volume, Speed, and Quality received 40% of the total, emerging as the clear priority. The result indicates a shared concern that peer review systems are being stretched, with capacity now recognized as a central issue.
Responses reflected wide participation across the peer review ecosystem, including researchers, reviewers, editors, publishers, librarians, and other stakeholders. Geographically, contributions came from all regions, with particularly strong engagement from Asia and Africa, alongside Europe and the Americas. This distribution highlights the global nature of the pressures on peer review and the diversity of perspectives shaping the conversation.
The 2026 theme emphasizes the intersection of three realities: rising submission volumes, increasing expectations for speed, and limited reviewer availability. It raises the question of how peer review systems can scale while maintaining quality, trust, and fairness.
Throughout PRW 2026, discussions will explore strategies for managing growth without compromising quality, balancing speed with rigorous evaluation, supporting and recognizing reviewers, leveraging technology to scale peer review, and addressing differences across regions, disciplines, and publishing models. The aim is to move beyond awareness toward practical, community‑driven responses.
Peer Review Week remains a community‑led initiative, strengthened by contributions from individuals and organizations worldwide. Participation can include hosting events, sharing insights through publications, engaging communities through training, or joining the global conversation on social media using #PeerReviewWeek and #PRW2026. More information and upcoming activities are available at Peer Review Week.
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