The Reviewer of the Month for December 2024: Denis Miyashiro, MD, PhD

Peer review is a cornerstone of the scientific publishing process, playing a vital role in maintaining the integrity, quality, and credibility of research. Through rigorous evaluation and constructive feedback, reviewers help authors refine their work, ensuring that published studies are accurate, impactful, and methodologically sound. Recognizing the dedication and expertise that peer reviewers bring to this process is essential to fostering a culture of excellence in science.

Each month, the BiomolBiomed Editorial team takes the opportunity to celebrate the invaluable contributions of our reviewers by selecting one individual who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to this critical role. This recognition highlights reviewers who go above and beyond in providing thorough, insightful, and constructive critiques, helping not only to elevate the manuscripts they assess but also to contribute to the broader advancement of scientific knowledge. Their efforts exemplify the spirit of collaboration and rigor that underpins the scientific endeavor.

This month, we're pleased to announce that the Reviewer of the Month Award goes to Denis Miyashiro, MD, PhD . Dr. Denis is a Dermatologist at the Institute of Cancer of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. His review stood out for its exceptional quality, offering valuable insights that significantly helped authors improve the clarity and rigor of their research.

We had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Denis about his approach to peer review and his perspective on the evolving publishing landscape. He shared his research passions and provided valuable insights into recent trends and challenges in his field. Here are the highlights from our conversation:

Interview:

Can you describe your primary research focus and highlight any significant breakthroughs or ongoing challenges in your area of ​​expertise?

I am a dermatologist, and I work in clinical dermatology, focusing on cutaneous lymphomas and erythroderma. One of the main challenges in this area is the rareness of these diseases. In cutaneous lymphomas, the pathogenesis of the disease is complex, and many efforts are made to find efficient therapies, but it is still an incurable disease, except for a few cases cured after an allogeneic bone marrow transplant. Erythroderma is a skin condition where erythema and scaling affects more than 80% of the body surface area, the patients suffer a lot, and there are few studies addressing the pathogenesis and treatments for this disorder.

How do you balance the need for constructive criticism with the need to be supportive of the authors?

The review process needs to verify whether the manuscript complied with good conduct, respecting the ethics in the research area. But sometimes the manuscript does not have a quality high enough or is not the focus of the journal. In my opinion, the review must add to the author's knowledge about the topic. Sometimes, a different view of the topic may give different insights that the authors did not wonder about. In my position as a reviewer, whenever possible I try to help the authors to improve the manuscript by giving my opinion or asking questions to increase the overall quality of the article.

How do you think the peer-review process can be improved in order to better serve the needs of the scientific community?

The recognition of a good review process is essential to stimulate reviewers to read the manuscript carefully and to elaborate a good response to the authors and editors. Anonymization is sometimes important to give feedback without bias, but the scientific community must think of ways to give appropriate recognition to good reviews. A good review takes time and effort, and it explores the knowledge of an expert in that field.

We are delighted to recognize Dr. Denis Miyashiro's exemplary work inspires other reviewers to pursue excellence. Additionally, we encourage everyone to acknowledge the peer review process as a crucial component of the scientific publishing system.