Since I have been unable to find a component, module, mambot, or plugin that creates a peer review process I am going to make one. This is something that I need, and I am sure others in the community would benefit from as well.

Please comment so that I can gather requirements...

What I envision is the following:
backend
1. Define Review Queues
2. Assign Peer Review Manager(s) to queue(s)
2. Assign Peer Reviewers to queue(s).
3. Define workflow rules for review process
4. Set serial or parallel review (blind or open)
5. Display queues and item status

Frontend
Submit Article
Will show author guidelines as well as provide for author(s) statement of originality. Will upload article into proper review queue. Notify Peer Review Manager (optionally notify peer review team (first reviewer in serial, all in parallel).

Review Panel
Allow peer reviewers to perform peer review from the frontend. This will require the ability to download/upload the attached article (version control) as well enter peer review comments and their recommendation (accept, accept with changes, reject).

Post edited by: DaveH, at: 2006/03/07 22:29

Sounds excellent. Would 'articles' be Joomla content items, or file attachments, or component objects?

I remember that even the beginnings of a tiered review process or version control for content items had been discussed a while back in the Mambo/Joomla forums in a rather lukewarm way.

That might have had lot to do with the rudimentary state of access control objects. The consensus seemed to be that Joomla 1.2 was the point where ACL would have an intuitive interface and structure to more easily support version control and collaboration components. But I'm happy that you're giving it a shot now.

I think it is too early to create a revision control process with Joomla content--though it would be a great feature. However, to create a revision feature for actual content would require extensions to the built-in editor that I, for one, am not willing to undertake at this time.

I am thinking of attachments only. It makes since to allow submission as an attachment as the article will have been developed in MS Word, Framemaker, etc. Not many academics will want to work online, save drafts in joomla, and return to complete the writing.

Excellent idea! have you been able to find or create such a module? I am in search of one. Can you refer me?