Biophysical Society Bulletin | September 2023

Publications

Know the Editor Alexandra Ros Arizona State University Associate Editor Biophysical Reports

BPS Believes in the Power of Peer Review BPS joins the scholarly publishing community in its annual celebra

tion of Peer Review Week from September 25–29. This year’s theme is “Peer Review and the Future of Publishing.” Technol ogy over time has changed the process of submitting research for consideration in a scholarly journal, but the principal of rigor

Alexandra Ros

What are you currently working on that excites you? All aspects of my work excite me, but currently I am especially passionate about developing microfluidic tools for protein crystallography applications with x-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs). Lately, we have been focusing on applying these methods to compact XFELs and synchrotrons. While the scientific applications of these powerful x-ray sources are still being explored, it is already evident that the amount of protein needed is a serious limitation. I am excited to collabo rate with researchers from other disciplines to overcome this limitation with novel approaches. I am also excited about con necting fundamental work on dielectrophoresis in microfluidic devices with current environmental challenges our planet faces. I believe that dielectrophoretic methods will be able to help us diagnose how much animals and human beings are exposed to micro- and nanoplastics, creating new insights into potential health impacts. What have you read lately that you found really interesting or stimulating (a paper, a book, science or not science)? I recently read about the Gilgo Beach murder cases in New York and how a suspect was found. I was intrigued by the initiative of a new female police chief in the associated county where the victims’ remains were discovered and how new methods in forensic science were used to identify victims and potential suspects. It was also intriguing to learn how cell phone data can be used to pinpoint a suspect’s residence (even with “burner” phones). On the other hand, it also made me a bit uneasy, as that successful application shows the possibility of tracking devices and future scenarios where each and every step one takes can be precisely followed.

ous peer review by one’s peers to refine a paper and ensure it is ready for publication has remained. BPS is proud of the work of its authors, editors, and peer reviewers in making this process successful for more than 60 years for Biophysical Journal and, more recently, for The Biophysicist and Biophysical Reports . Looking forward, continuing changes in the scientific and publishing communities will influence where peer review goes from here. “Open” peer review models, consideration of non-article outputs such as data and code, open access mandates, and increasing demands on the time of peer re viewers are some of the factors that could mold and change the process. In addition to increased use of AI for analyzing large data sets, the availability of AI writing tools such as ChatGPT raises challenges concerning their use in the writing and review process: when their use is appropriate and, if not, how it can be detected and what the consequences should be for inappropriate use. The scholarly publishing community is always looking for ways to improve and streamline the peer review process. Technology, the shifting preferences of new generations of researchers, and other factors will continue to influence the future form of peer review; however, the scientific commu nity will continue working together to build on our collective knowledge. More information about webinars and other activities during Peer Review Week can be found at www.peerreviewweek. wordpress.com.

Numbers By the

The BPS Student Chapters Program started in 2018, and there are currently 56 chapters—39 in the United States and 17 international.

September 2023

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