Main Distributed Review Page

Chandra Distributed Peer Review (CDPR)
Frequently Asked Questions

Assignments

How will you know our expertise so that we review proposals in our area?

In your CXC User Account preferences you can enter keywords that describe your research specialty. We use these keywords, your proposal(s), and your publication record to determine the proposals that are suitable for your review. While we strive to make sure most proposals are aligned with your expertise, we realize that some proposals may be adjacent to your interests.

How will you manage conflicts for conflicting groups working on similar projects?

Conflict mitigation has been a long-standing problem we have faced and addressed at the Chandra Peer Review. We perform several layers of conflict mitigation when assigning reviewers to proposals. This includes asking reviewers for a list of personal and professional conflicts. These conflicts are entered by the Designated Reviewer (DR) in their CXC User Account profile. Given that each proposal will have 10-16 reviews, we are confident that we can mitigate conflict of interests.

Policy

What is your policy regarding distributing proposals between several PhDs in a group?

We do not recommend this type of action. Reviews should be performed and led by the Designated Reviewer since the review assignments are based on the DR profile.

Will CXC members be allowed as reviewers?

Yes, CXC members are allowed as reviewers. Our conflict mitigation helps manage any potential conflicts for all Designated Reviewers.

Do you still run plagiarism software on the proposals?

Yes, we always run plagiarism software and will continue to do so.

When a non-PhD PI is working with a PhD-holding Designated Reviewer, can the PI directly access CDRS easily if they decide to work together?

No, only the Designated Reviewer's account can access the Chandra Distributed Review Site (CDRS).

Logistics

How many reviews do you expect to get for each proposal?

We aim to have at least 10 reviews per proposal; depending on the number of unique Designated Reviewers, this translates to 10-16 reviews per Designated Reviewer.

How are the reviews submitted to the CXC?

Each Designated Reviewer will be assigned a list of 10-16 proposals. To access the proposals they log into the Chandra Distributed Review Site with their CXC User Account. At the CDRS site, they can download proposals, work on evaluations and reports, and, when satisfied with their reviews, submit them to CXC.

How do you deal with highly-polarized reviews?

During Round 2 of the evaluation, Designated Reviewers will have an opportunity to compare their evaluation to those submitted by other Designated Reviewers. This provides an opportunity to readjust their review (up or down) depending on the other reports.

What kind of report will proposing teams receive after the review is complete?

The proposing team will receive the outcome of their proposal, a score of the proposal, and each report provided by the anonymized Designated Reviewers.

Are the TOOs reviewed by Designated Reviewers before they go to the final TOO panel?

Yes, all TOO proposals will go through the Distributed Review and be reviewed by the Designated Reviewers. The outcomes of the Distributed Review will inform the TOO panels.

Does the transition to a distributed peer review alter the timeline for the cycle?

No, following the completion of the entire Chandra Peer Review in June, we anticipate that the selected targets will be released on the typical timescale (late-July to early-August).

Workload

What is the total typical expected time commitment for a reviewer?

Most proposals are 4 pages long, while a small subset (Joint, Large and Very Large Programs) are up to 6 pages long. The time to read and assess will vary person-to-person but a modest estimate is 12 to 24 hours spread over the four week review period.

In Round 2, does a Designated Reviewer have to review an additional 10-16 proposals?

No, Round 2 simply provides an opportunity for the Designated Reviewer to compare how they evaluated a proposal in Round 1 with other Designated Reviewers and adjust their evaluation and report if they deem it necessary. A Designated Reviewer will only be responsible for 10-16 proposal reviews.