Plan the Review
The peer review program is designed for process integrity. The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) understands that each sponsor's needs are different, therefore each peer review process is tailored to meet sponsor-specific expectations. We bring a proven process, existing tools and systems, and outstanding knowledge of peer reviews from a government agency perspective to each project.
For more than a decade, ORISE has conducted peer reviews through meticulous planning and project management. Because the planning phase is customizable, ORISE maintains a step-by-step process that is flexible and can be modified based on the sponsor requirements.
The peer review process enables qualified experts to provide objective evaluations to decision-makers using defined criteria. This process can be used to evaluate a variety of documents, including research proposals and technical reports.
ORISE ensures:
- The peer review process is consistent with each research sponsor’s regulatory, policy, and operational requirements.
- The review is completed on schedule, within the budget, and with a high degree of process integrity.
- The reviewers complete independent and objective technical evaluations.
- Reports of the technical evaluations are delivered to the sponsor in a timely manner.
Examples of current ORISE peer review models:
- Implement existing peer review program for research proposals. Agencies that have mature research programs often have established peer review protocols. ORISE follows the direction provided by the research sponsor and implements the unique requirements to evaluate the technical merit of each research proposal. The program managers consider the reviewer evaluations before awarding funding.
- Design and manage an independent and objective peer review program for research proposals. For agencies that do not have established peer review protocols for research proposals, ORISE designs and implements their programs. In this case, the sponsors for these reviews consider the reviewer evaluations when they make funding awards.
- Design and manage a program to evaluate in-process and completed research. Agencies that do not have established programs to evaluate research that is in-process or completed rely on ORISE to design and implement their programs. The sponsors consider the reviewer evaluations to make decisions related to continuation and future funding.
- Coordinate a review of scientific assessment documents. Agencies that conduct assessments of technical and scientific documents leverage our peer review process to ensure feasibility and an independent and objective evaluation of technical merit before any documents are released to the public.
