Enhanced Reviewer Experience

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 89 views

Introduction

In the realm of academic publishing, the peer review process plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and validity of research papers. OpenReview, a platform designed to facilitate this process, has been instrumental in streamlining the review and discussion phases of paper submissions. However, there exists a need for a more flexible and customizable approach to managing these phases, particularly for specific papers. This article proposes a feature request to enable program chairs to set a custom date for releasing reviews and starting the discussion period for specific papers.

Background

The current OpenReview system allows for a standardized review and discussion process, where all papers are treated equally. However, this one-size-fits-all approach may not be suitable for all conferences or workshops. The ability to customize the review and discussion process for specific papers would provide program chairs with more flexibility and control over the review process. This feature would be particularly useful in situations where papers require additional scrutiny or where reviewers need more time to provide thorough feedback.

Similar Functionality

A similar feature request has been proposed in the OpenReview GitHub repository (issue #2263). This issue addresses the possibility of extending the discussion period for specific papers, but with a focus on area chairs having the discretion to do so. In contrast, the proposed feature request aims to enable program chairs to set a custom date for releasing reviews and starting the discussion period for specific papers in a centralized manner.

Technical Feasibility

To determine the technical feasibility of this feature request, we need to consider the following:

API Integration: The OpenReview API would need to be modified to accommodate the new feature. This would involve adding a new endpoint or modifying existing ones to allow program chairs to set custom dates for review release and discussion.
Database Updates: The OpenReview database would need to be updated to store the custom dates set by program chairs. This would require changes to the database schema and data storage mechanisms.
Frontend Updates: The OpenReview frontend would need to be updated to display the custom dates set by program chairs and to allow reviewers to access reviews and participate in discussions accordingly.

Potential Use Cases

The proposed feature would have several potential use cases, including:

Customized Review Process: Program chairs could set custom dates for review release and discussion for specific papers, allowing for a more tailored review process.
Reviewer Incentives: As mentioned in the additional information, the proposed feature could be used to implement reviewer incentives, such as withholding reviews for papers authored by reviewers who have been deemed "highly irresponsible."
Author Response: Program chairs could use the custom dates feature to disable author responses for specific papers, allowing for a more controlled discussion process.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the proposed feature request to enable program chairs to set a custom date for releasing reviews and starting the discussion period for specific papers is technically feasible. The OpenReview API, database, and frontend would need to be updated to accommodate this feature. The potential use cases for this feature are numerous, including customized review processes, reviewer incentives, and author response control. We believe that this feature would be a valuable addition to the OpenReview platform and would provide program chairs with more flexibility and control over the review process.

Future Work

Future work on this feature would involve:

API Development: Developing the new API endpoint or modifying existing ones to accommodate the custom dates feature.
Database Schema Updates: Updating the OpenReview database schema to store custom dates set by program chairs.
Frontend Updates: Updating the OpenReview frontend to display custom dates and allow reviewers to access reviews and participate in discussions accordingly.
Testing and Validation: Thoroughly testing and validating the custom dates feature to ensure its correctness and reliability.

Introduction

In our previous article, we proposed a feature request to enable program chairs to set a custom date for releasing reviews and starting the discussion period for specific papers. This feature would provide program chairs with more flexibility and control over the review process, allowing them to tailor the review process to the specific needs of their conference or workshop. In this article, we will address some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to this feature request.

Q: What is the purpose of this feature request?

A: The purpose of this feature request is to enable program chairs to set a custom date for releasing reviews and starting the discussion period for specific papers. This would allow program chairs to tailor the review process to the specific needs of their conference or workshop, providing more flexibility and control over the review process.

Q: How would this feature work?

A: The feature would work by allowing program chairs to set a custom date for releasing reviews and starting the discussion period for specific papers. This would involve modifying the OpenReview API to accommodate the new feature, updating the database schema to store custom dates, and updating the frontend to display custom dates and allow reviewers to access reviews and participate in discussions accordingly.

Q: What are the potential use cases for this feature?

A: The potential use cases for this feature are numerous, including:

Customized Review Process: Program chairs could set custom dates for review release and discussion for specific papers, allowing for a more tailored review process.
Reviewer Incentives: As mentioned in the additional information, the proposed feature could be used to implement reviewer incentives, such as withholding reviews for papers authored by reviewers who have been deemed "highly irresponsible."
Author Response: Program chairs could use the custom dates feature to disable author responses for specific papers, allowing for a more controlled discussion process.

Q: How would this feature impact the review process?

A: The feature would impact the review process by providing program chairs with more flexibility and control over the review process. This would allow program chairs to tailor the review process to the specific needs of their conference or workshop, providing a more efficient and effective review process.

Q: What are the technical requirements for implementing this feature?

A: The technical requirements for implementing this feature would include:

API Development: Developing the new API endpoint or modifying existing ones to accommodate the custom dates feature.
Database Schema Updates: Updating the OpenReview database schema to store custom dates set by program chairs.
Frontend Updates: Updating the OpenReview frontend to display custom dates and allow reviewers to access reviews and participate in discussions accordingly.
Testing and Validation: Thoroughly testing and validating the custom dates feature to ensure its correctness and reliability.

Q: What are the benefits of implementing this feature?

A: The benefits of implementing this feature would include:

Increased Flexibility: Program chairs would have more flexibility and control over the review process, allowing them to tailor the review process to the specific needs of their conference or workshop.
Improved Efficiency: The feature would allow program chairs to streamline the review process, reducing the time and effort required to manage the review process.
Enhanced Reviewer Experience: The feature would provide reviewers with a more streamlined and efficient review process, allowing them to focus on providing high-quality reviews.

Q: What are the next steps for implementing this feature?

A: The next steps for implementing this feature would involve:

API Development: Developing the new API endpoint or modifying existing ones to accommodate the custom dates feature.
Database Schema Updates: Updating the OpenReview database schema to store custom dates set by program chairs.
Frontend Updates: Updating the OpenReview frontend to display custom dates and allow reviewers to access reviews and participate in discussions accordingly.
Testing and Validation: Thoroughly testing and validating the custom dates feature to ensure its correctness and reliability.

By implementing this feature, OpenReview can provide program chairs with more flexibility and control over the review process, ultimately leading to a more efficient and effective peer review process.