How to get peers to review your work?

[nataliaeggers]

I’m getting to understand the forum and I’m sorry if I have misused somehow, but I see that getting peer reviewed is a common problem faced especially by “outsider”.
If peers won’t open your paper, and, consequently, won’t review it, so, how (or where) is it possible to find physicist to review your paper?
Are there PhD physicists that charge for reviewing your paper? If not — they’re leaving money on the table.

 

[berkeman]

We had a thread recently on this in the Feedback forum. Let me see if I can find it...

 

[berkeman]

I don't see it offhand in Feedback, so it may have been in GD. I have to run now, so can anybody else find that thread and post a link to it? Thanks.

 

[PeroK]

I don't see it offhand in Feedback, so it may have been in GD. I have to run now, so can anybody else find that thread and post a link to it? Thanks.

I think the OP already found that!

Physics Thread 'How to close the gap: From Independent Research to Academic Discourse'

Oct 20, 2025

Hello Physics Forums Community,
I'm hoping to draw upon the community's collective wisdom regarding a procedural challenge that I believe many independent researchers face.

I'm working on a self-contained theoretical framework from a foundational starting point. The work touches upon concepts from general relativity, quantum foundations, and cosmology, attempting to connect them based on a single relational principle. It has now reached a point, where some parameter free values seemingly emerge out of it, reaching the limits of my capability. At this point, as someone working outside the...

• Esim Can
• Replies: 53
• Forum: STEM Career Guidance

• 

 

[russ_watters]

I’m getting to understand the forum and I’m sorry if I have misused somehow, but I see that getting peer reviewed is a common problem faced especially by “outsider”.
If peers won’t open your paper, and, consequently, won’t review it, so, how (or where) is it possible to find physicist to review your paper?
Are there PhD physicists that charge for reviewing your paper? If not — they’re leaving money on the table.

I think you may have a misunderstanding of what "peer review" means, though it may partly be moot....

"Peer review" is what happens when you submit a paper to a journal for publication; they send it to several experts in the field for review. What you need, just for a physicist to review it, isn't "peer review".

There's lots of places online you could post it that might attract a physicist to take a look, but you may have better luck just contacting a local university and offering to pay someone to read it.

 

[.Scott]

There are a couple of few recent threads/articles related to this:

This one, "How do people explore new ideas in Physics" is in "Other Physics Topics".

This one, "AI use in peer review" is in "Computing and Technology".

And there is this one, "Independent Research: Thinking Outside The Box Versus Knowing What’s In The Box", a PF Insights article. With the discussion thread here.

 

[pinball1970]

getting peer reviewed is a common problem faced especially by “outsider”

Are you at a University? A student? Or member of a scientific organization?

 

[PeroK]

I’m getting to understand the forum and I’m sorry if I have misused somehow, but I see that getting peer reviewed is a common problem faced especially by “outsider”.
If peers won’t open your paper, and, consequently, won’t review it, so, how (or where) is it possible to find physicist to review your paper?
Are there PhD physicists that charge for reviewing your paper? If not — they’re leaving money on the table.

It depends what the paper is about. If it's along the lines of:

"There is a fundamental flaw in relativity and/or QM that physicists have overlooked. My theory fixes this ... "

Then, you are wasting your time.

It is, however, possible to challenge existing default position. Here's a speculative paper on whether the Big Bang could be part of a cyclic cosmology:

https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.24263

Does your paper (in general terms) look anything like that?

 

[russ_watters]

FYI, @PeroK , @pinball1970 et al, OP has stated in another thread that they are a medical doctor who has conducted easily replicatable experiments that contradict GR.

 

[pinball1970]

FYI, @PeroK , @pinball1970 et al, OP has stated in another thread that they are a medical doctor who has conducted easily replicatable experiments that contradict GR.

General relativity!? Right ok!

 

[PeroK]

FYI, @PeroK , @pinball1970 et al, OP has stated in another thread that they are a medical doctor who has conducted easily replicatable experiments that contradict GR.

I didn't think there were any elementary experiments that tested GR. As distinct from Newtonian gravity. Pound-Rebka or Hafele-Keating must be the simplest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tests_of_general_relativity

 

[martinbn]

I’m getting to understand the forum and I’m sorry if I have misused somehow, but I see that getting peer reviewed is a common problem faced especially by “outsider”.
If peers won’t open your paper, and, consequently, won’t review it, so, how (or where) is it possible to find physicist to review your paper?
Are there PhD physicists that charge for reviewing your paper? If not — they’re leaving money on the table.

I hope you understand that the most likely outcome of revewing your paper will be that it is flawed for some elementary reason.

Since you are a medical doctor what would your reaction be if someone asked you how he can get MDs to review his work on the mistakes he has found in standard medical practice?

 

[russ_watters]

I hope you understand that the most likely outcome of revewing your paper will be that it is flawed for some elementary reason.

Since you are a medical doctor what would your reaction be if someone asked you how he can get MDs to review his work on the mistakes he has found in standard medical practice?

My first thought was surprise that an MD wouldn't be familiar with the peer review process. Don't most MDs sometimes publish papers....or at least read medical journals and know how they work?