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Comment by matheusmoreira | Hacker News Reader

I've been told academic journals don't even pay peer reviewers. Is that true? Peer review is the whole point of a journal and is what sets them apart from just publishing a PDF on the internet. If peer reviewers aren't even getting paid for their invaluable service, nothing stops them from forming their own independent peer review group.

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Yes, there is no monetary compensation. But the currency here is community service. If your CV lists you as reviewer, program chair, technical committee on XYZ, it makes you look important. And you get to see very early who in your field is working on what. It has networking effects and you get to know people (other reviewers and committee members).

That's why academics do it. Most of them anyway. All for "free".

In most cases yes, peer reviewers are not paid. These companies are pretty much a paywalled pdf hosting service hence the outrage against them.

I can't actually think of anyone who has been paid for a review in the sciences.

The most I've personally gotten was a nice note from an editor; I've heard rumors of someone who reviewed enough to get some journal-branded swag (a mug or calendar, I think). If you review a book, you might get to keep the copy.

Nobody gets cash.

I've been compensated for one review, and for peer-reviewing a book proposal, gotten some free books.

That is, in fairness, three instances over what is by now probably well over 100 reviews.

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