For Reviewers
Reviewing AI-Integrated Research

JSR reviewers are scholars who use AI themselves — and can evaluate its use in others' work with informed, principled judgment.

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A Different Kind of Peer Review

JSR asks reviewers to evaluate something most journals ignore: whether the human-AI collaboration in a manuscript meets the standards of rigorous, transparent, accountable scholarship.

Reviewers Who Use AI

JSR specifically recruits reviewers with hands-on LLM experience. You don't need to be a computer scientist — you need to have used accessible AI tools in your own scholarly work and be able to recognize quality from gimmick.

Structured Rubric

No more wondering what to look for. The HAIST rubric maps directly to the seven HAIST principles with weighted scoring — including a dedicated section for evaluating the AI Methodology component. No ambiguity, no subjectivity about AI use itself.

Reasonable Turnaround

We ask for reviews in 4–6 weeks. You may use AI tools to help organize your review — and we ask you to disclose that at the end of your form. Practicing what we publish.

Shape the Field

The standards we establish for AI-integrated research methodology are being written now. JSR reviewers are participating in that standard-setting in real time — not reading about it after the fact.

Formal Recognition

Each completed review earns acknowledgment in the relevant issue, a formal letter of reviewer service for your professional portfolio, and early access to all JSR publications before public release.

Collegial Community

Join a growing network of scholars who take AI-integrated research seriously. JSR reviewers share a commitment to transparent, rigorous, human-centered scholarship — and to building the community of practice that supports it.

The HAIST Review Rubric

Every JSR review uses this rubric. The seven HAIST principles are weighted but not strictly quantitative — they guide your holistic assessment. The rubric is available in full detail via your reviewer account.

HAIST-Aligned Review Criteria
Human-AI Symbiotic Theory · Chick & Morello, 2024 · Applied to JSR peer review
25%
Scholarly Contribution
Does the work advance knowledge in its field? Is the research question meaningful, timely, and well-framed? Is the methodology — including AI use — appropriate to the question being asked?
25%
Human-AI Symbiosis Quality
The core HAIST criterion. Does the manuscript demonstrate genuine human oversight, critical engagement with AI outputs, and evidence that the researcher — not the AI — made the epistemic and scholarly judgments? Delegation is not symbiosis.
20%
AI Methodology Transparency
Is the AI workflow described with enough specificity to be evaluated? Are tool choices identified and justified? Could another researcher approximately replicate the approach? Does the description serve the peer review process — or obstruct it?
20%
Rigor & Validity
Are claims supported by evidence? Are limitations acknowledged honestly? Does AI use strengthen the validity of the work — or introduce unchecked bias, hallucination, or circularity? Citation integrity is part of this criterion.
10%
Accessibility & Equity Orientation
Does the work use or advocate for AI tools accessible to researchers without substantial institutional resources? Does it consider equity implications? Does it model scholarship achievable by a faculty member at a community college, not just a well-funded R1?

Reviewer note on AI tool use: JSR encourages reviewers to use AI tools in organizing, drafting, or refining their reviews. If you do, please disclose this at the end of your review form. There is no penalty — it is, in fact, the right thing to model.

The Review Process

What to expect from invitation to submission.

1
Invitation

You receive an email invitation with the manuscript title, abstract, and primary topic area (all identifying information removed). You have 7 days to accept or decline. Declining with a suggested alternative reviewer is always appreciated.

2
Access the Manuscript

Upon acceptance, you receive access to the full anonymized manuscript via the OJS portal. Log in with your JSR account to download and begin your review.

3
Complete the Review Form

The JSR review form is structured around the seven HAIST principles. Each has a dedicated section for your qualitative comments and a rating scale. The AI Methodology section has its own evaluation module — expect to spend meaningful time there.

4
Disclose Your Own AI Use

At the end of the form, there is a brief disclosure field. If you used AI tools to help write or organize your review, note what tools and how. This is not audited — it is modeled. We are building the culture of transparency we want to see in the literature.

5
Submit and Receive Acknowledgment

Reviews submitted through the OJS portal are acknowledged within 24 hours. The editorial team reviews all reviewer comments before transmitting to authors. Your identity remains protected through the double-blind process.

Become a JSR Reviewer

We are actively building our reviewer pool. JSR reviewers receive acknowledgment in each issue, a formal letter of service, and early access to publications — and the satisfaction of helping define what rigorous AI-integrated scholarship looks like.

Ready to Join the Reviewer Pool?

Create a JSR account, complete your Reviewing Interests profile, and add your availability status. We match reviewers to manuscripts based on discipline, AI tool experience, and HAIST familiarity.

Reviewer Qualifications
  • Terminal degree (Ed.D., Ph.D., or equivalent) in a relevant discipline
  • Active scholarly or professional profile — publication record, research role, or practice-based expertise
  • Hands-on experience using at least one accessible LLM (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) in research, writing, or scholarly work
  • Willingness to complete the JSR Reviewer Orientation (approximately 45 minutes, available via your account)
  • Commitment to a 2–4 week review turnaround and professional, constructive feedback
  • Agreement to disclose your own AI use if tools are used in writing your review

Meet the Editors

JSR is led by the co-architects of HAIST — the theoretical framework at the heart of this journal's review criteria and editorial vision.

Editor-in-Chief
John Chick, Ed.D.
University of Bridgeport

Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Director of the Doctorate in Educational Leadership Program at UB, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Co-developer of HAIST and author of The AI Learning Curve: What Every Educator Needs to Know (2025). Recipient of the Imogene Okes Award for Outstanding Research in Adult Education. Associate Editor, Journal of Military Learning. Board Member, National Coalition for Literacy.

Educational Leadership HAIST Adult Education AI Literacy
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Laura Morello, Ed.D.
Co-Developer, Human-AI Symbiotic Theory

Co-developer of the Human-AI Symbiotic Theory (HAIST) and co-author of Dissertations in the AI Era. A scholar-practitioner whose work centers on the ethical, methodological, and pedagogical dimensions of human-AI collaboration in higher education research and practice.

HAIST Higher Education AI Ethics Doctoral Mentoring
Editorial Board
Recruiting Now
Interdisciplinary · International

We are actively recruiting editorial board members from educational leadership, adult education, military education, health professions education, organizational leadership, and AI methodology. Terminal degree and hands-on LLM experience required.

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Contact the Editorial Team