A paid-reviewer model trialled by The Company of Biologists on its Biology Open journal has reduced average peer review times from more than seven weeks to just over five working days. Under the model, the company paid for the review, conditional on both timely completion and editorial assessment of review quality.

The results suggest a substantial improvement in review speed and reviewer engagement. Among peer-reviewed manuscripts submitted in 2025, the average time to a first decision based on completed reviews fell from 37.7 working days under conventional peer review to 5.5 working days using Fast & Fair. The journal also reported significantly higher reviewer participation rates. Invitations under the Fast & Fair system were accepted 67% of the time, compared with 23% for conventional review requests.

According to a preprint on the bioRxiv server, the faster process did not appear to compromise review quality. The study also found no significant changes in editorial decision-making. First-decision outcomes and final acceptance rates remained broadly consistent between the two systems, with acceptance rates of 59% under Fast & Fair and 61% under conventional peer review.

Source https://www.researchinformation.info/news/biology-open-paid-peer-review-model-cuts-times-to-five-working-days/