Breaking Down Barriers in Academic Publishing: How MERIT Review Levels the Playing Field

For decades, academic publishing has been dominated by prestigious journals, institutional biases, and a gatekeeping system that favoured elite universities and established scholars. Researchers from underrepresented groups, smaller institutions, and diverse backgrounds often faced an uphill battle to have their work recognised. But now, a new platform—MERIT Review —is set to revolutionise the field, offering a fair, unbiased alternative that focuses entirely on the quality of the research itself.

The traditional gatekeepers of academic publishing—prestigious journals and their editors—no longer hold all the cards. Institutional biases have created barriers for women, minorities, and scholars from lesser-known universities, who face an uphill battle to have their work recognised.

MERIT Review offers an alternative that will democratise academic publishing. Unlike the status quo, where bias and politics often influence what gets published, MERIT levels the playing field by focusing on the quality of the research itself.

Joseph Arboleda-Velasquez, Ph. D., creator of MERIT Review, says, 'Our goal is to make academic publishing about the research, not the researcher.'

Historically, academic journals have acted as the sole arbiters of what is deemed worthy of publication. The journals also control the distribution of educational content. While peer review is a critical component of this process, the byzantine nature of the system has long been criticised. There have not been established criteria for the peer review process. Additionally, reviewers often work for free, leading to rushed, uneven assessments.

'The old model was built on the backs of unpaid labour and entrenched power structures," says Arboleda-Velasquez. "It's time for something new and better.' Fair compensation for reviewers is already a reality at another project co-founded by Dr. Arboleda-Velasquez last year called ScienceBank. ScienceBank promotes efficient peer review, multilingual publishing, and fair compensation for reviewers and editors.

MERIT Review challenges this recalcitrant structure by removing the necessity for journals entirely. Instead of being at the mercy of a selection process, researchers can now have their work reviewed based on a standardised, objective rubric. After vetting via the MERIT Review, the paper can be distributed using any platform by the author or their institution. The process evaluates a paper's scientific rigour and novelty without regard to where it was written or who wrote it. This means that a groundbreaking study from a small university has just as much chance of being published as one from Yale, Oxford, or Harvard.

'We've created a system that judges research solely on its intrinsic value,' Arboleda-Velasquez explains. 'This levels the playing field for everyone—regardless of gender, race, or institutional affiliation.'

This is a game-changer for underrepresented groups in academia. In traditional publishing, systemic biases often result in fewer opportunities for women and minorities to have their work published. MERIT Review breaks down these barriers by offering an entirely objective review process. Everyone can get their work evaluated purely on its merits—MERIT allows academic articles to spread their wings and fly on their own.

Another key feature of MERIT Review is its decoupling of peer review from publication. Traditionally, getting published required navigating journal submissions, editor approvals, and sometimes even personal politics. However, with MERIT, once a paper is peer-reviewed and approved, the researcher can choose where and how to publish it.

'If you want to publish in a traditional journal, great. If you want to share your research on social media or a personal blog, that's also fine,' says Arboleda-Velasquez.

This opens up a new world of possibilities for academic publishing. Researchers no longer have to jump through hoops to get their work into the world. Instead, they have complete control over how and where their research is published. This democratisation of publishing means cutting-edge research can reach wider audiences faster without the bottleneck of journal gatekeeping.

'We're seeing the walls come down,' Arboleda-Velasquez says with a smile. 'It's an exciting time for academia.'

MERIT Review also introduces speed. Traditional academic publishing can take months, even years, from submission to publication. In fast-moving fields like medicine or technology, this lag can be detrimental. MERIT's streamlined review process, based on clear, objective criteria, allows research to be evaluated quickly and efficiently. The complete description of the MERIT Method was recently published in ScienceBank and can be found here.

'We've taken out the unnecessary delays,' explains Arboleda-Velasquez. 'Good research gets out faster, and that benefits everyone.'

He emphasises that better research leads to more progress. When good work is recognised quickly, it can inspire and inform future studies. In contrast, the current system often stifles innovation with its slow pace and internal politics.

'Our process is about removing the barriers to progress,' Arboleda-Velasquez adds. 'We want researchers to spend less time fighting the system and more time doing what they love—researching.'

The academic publishing industry is worth an estimated $30 billion, with much of that revenue going to a handful of prestigious journals and their owners. MERIT Review opens this market to more players and allows peer reviewers to be compensated fairly.

'For too long, peer review has been a thankless task,' says Arboleda-Velasquez. 'We believe that by paying reviewers for their time, we'll get a higher level of quality and engagement.'

This could lead to a broader, more diverse group of reviewers, further enhancing the process's fairness and inclusivity. No handful of elite academics will no longer control the fate of a researcher's work. Instead, a diverse and well-compensated pool of reviewers will ensure that every paper is given the attention it deserves.

'MERIT Review is the future of academic publishing,' says Arboleda-Velasquez. 'A future where good research is recognised for what it is, without bias or barriers.'

To learn more about how MERIT Review is revolutionising peer review and academic publishing, visit meritreview.com.