Help for Data Reviewers

All data submitted to the PDS must pass peer review before being accepted. The reviewers' job is to decide whether a particular data set is scientifically useful, well-documented, and accessible. A peer review committee therefore includes scientists who have some interest and expertise in the kind of data being reviewed. They do not need to be experts on PDS standards. The peer review committee also includes PDS personnel whose job is to see that the data set is PDS-compatible.

Here are some links with more detail about PDS peer reviews.

• The Peer Review Process describes what happens during a peer review, and
• What We Need from Reviewers suggests some ways of evaluating a data set.

For those reviewers who want to know more about PDS standards, the controlling documents are:

• The PDS4 Standards Reference
• The PDS3 Standards Reference

Finally, reviewers should feel free to ask questions at any time during the review process. Questions should be directed to the PDS representative who is coordinating the peer review.