Standards and Guidelines
Peer Review in Publications
Adopted by the CAA Board of Directors, May 2, 2003.
A formal definition of peer review strengthens the authority of a journal and the value to the author of publication in it. The mission statements of CAA’s own journals, The Art Bulletin, Art Journal, and caa.reviews, identify them as peer-reviewed. Should CAA add a new project or publication, the associated mission statement will identify whether it is a peer-reviewed or not.
With respect to artists’ projects and other primarily creative works, it may be appropriate for CAA to develop further language to define peer review for such works. For example, in the peer review of artworks for publication, a jury of the journal’s editorial board may be a better model than the “two blind reviews” model typical in scholarly publishing.
CAA Standards for Peer Review
Many texts, projects, and other materials, including commissioned works, submitted to CAA’s journals for consideration undergo peer review prior to acceptance. Editors-in-chief should consult professionals in the field qualified in the particular subject matter under review regarding a project’s merits. Project proposals may also be subject to peer review. If a proposal is peer-reviewed, the editor-in-chief is responsible for confirming that the completed work (manuscript or other material) matches the approved project proposal, and may have the final submission reviewed again.
Peer reviews for each work should be written by, usually, two reviewers who are established specialists in the field. Materials are usually sent “blind,” without the author’s name, identified by number.
Peer reviews are written, signed documents. A log is maintained by the editor-in-chief and becomes a permanent confidential record, kept by the editors-in-chief. The journal’s annual report tallies statistics on rate of acceptance of articles.
Peer reviews of artist’s projects and other primarily creative works may take a different form from that for scholarly manuscripts, and should take into account the particular creative nature and characteristics of the work.
Certain published materials, including book reviews (which are themselves a form of peer review), interviews, and discussion forums, may not be subject to peer review.
