Peer Review
ORAU brings decades of experience in scientific peer review and merit review for agencies and organizations of all sizes.
Each year, federal and state agencies as well as major foundations award billions in dollars to research proposals and projects deemed to show the most promise. The goal is always to award funding to the most deserving proposals. But how can these organizations effectively decide which proposals are the best? The most time-tested and widely accepted method is peer review.
What is peer review?
Peer review is the evaluation of scientific work by subject matter experts from the same or a related field. The evaluated work may be among other things, a proposal to conduct scientific research, ongoing research itself or a submitted paper based on ongoing or completed research. The peer review process involves selecting experts in the same field as the proposals to evaluate, comment, and score proposals based on their knowledge of the subject and understanding of the impact each proposal would make if funded.
What we offer
- Multiple decades of experience in all aspects of scientific peer review and merit review
- A fully-integrated peer review management system
- Broad experience in using other online peer review management systems
- Ability to conduct reviews, workshops and meetings of any size
- Ease-of-use in managing reviews from start to finish or managing any component
- Proprietary network of more than 18,000 global subject matter experts and access to numerous other expert databases
- Low cost and high efficiency in all phases of the peer review process
- Management of all travel, honoraria and other arrangements for expert panels
PeerNet – Proposal Evaluation Management System
While many peer review management systems exist, only ORAU’s PeerNet was built by peer review professionals based on decades of real-world experience and thousands of pieces of customer feedback. PeerNet has served as the online peer review management tool for more than 1,100 reviews. None of ORAU’s peer reviews have been successfully challenged.
With each system update, PeerNet has introduced new features designed to further streamline and improve the review process, such as an easy-to-use reviewer interface for the secure exchange of documents and information and a proposal collection module that helps organize all documents associated with each review.
While PeerNet specializes in traditional peer review, it has the flexibility to assist with all kinds of reviews and evaluations. Contact us today to learn about how PeerNet can meet the needs of your upcoming review.
Already a PeerNet user? Log in to PeerNet
Want to check it out? Request a PeerNet demo
Our Experts
Jody Crisp
Expertise: Project management, performance measurement, budgeting, contingency planning, sponsorship development, conflicts of interest resolution, quality assurance
- Peer review project manager for more than 500 DOE Office of Science peer review projects since 2002
- Community volunteer, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children, Anderson County, Tennessee
Keri Cagle, M.S.
Expertise: Peer review operations and project management, government contract compliance, process improvement, systems development, collaborative leadership and team building
Cagle is an astute business leader with an innovative mindset to use technology to revolutionize processes at ORAU. Her sponsorship of the redesigns of key systems such as PeerNet and Zintellect demonstrate her technological ability and essential collaboration and communication capabilities.
Certifications: Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Internal Auditor, Master Certification in Government Contracting
Contact us
For information about ORAU’s research, reviews and evaluations, contact Keri Cagle at 865.241.3804 or peerreview@orau.org.