Editors’ Vox is a blog from AGU’s Publications Department.
In celebration of Peer Review Week 2026, American Geophysical Union (AGU) Publications recognizes 244 outstanding reviewers for their work in 2025, as selected by the editors of each journal.
Peer review—the practice of having knowledgeable, experienced colleagues provide authentic, independent, and valuable feedback on scientific manuscripts to help promote clarity and accuracy in the scientific record—is fundamental to the scientific process. This system of peer review, coupled with a culture of transparent and open data, promotes greater understanding and trust in science. Reviewers are central to a culture of shared science stewardship and are increasingly important to retain in the age of artificial intelligence (Santos et al., 2026). When there are so many formats for sharing and consuming ideas and research, a healthy and thriving system of peer review ensures that we encourage clear communication and maintain the highest integrity and trust in our scientific publications.
At AGU, the peer review process is conducted by scientists, starting with the journal editors. It is then the peer reviewers who take time away from their own research to volunteer time and expertise to help others in our scientific community improve their articles and aid publication decisions. The work of these colleagues ensures that thousands of articles each year receive independent feedback as part of a robust process of evaluation and consideration for publication. We are thankful for their efforts to make the work of our Earth and space science community better.
Peer review ensures that we encourage clear communication and maintain the highest integrity and trust in our scientific publications.
Advances in the Earth and space sciences rely on ever more complex approaches and datasets as reflected in the papers that present their results. Peer reviewers share their substantial expertise to evaluate detailed and intricate science conducted by individuals and most often teams of researchers large and small. To provide robust feedback, reviewers assess insights gleaned from studies utilizing new techniques, data, and simulations that increase in scale and scope each year. Thus, both the value and challenge of peer reviewing keeps growing. We all benefit from the practice of peer review because it sharpens the focus and increases the value and trust in the scientific work published in AGU journals.
The outstanding reviewers listed here have provided in-depth, valuable, and timely feedback and evaluations, often through multiple revisions, and multiple manuscripts, that have led to clearer and greatly improved final published papers. Their contributions helped raise the quality of submissions received from around the world, delivering valuable feedback that makes for better scientific discourse.
Many Reviewers: A Key Part of AGU Journals
In all, more than 20,000 reviewers completed 43,804 reviews in 2025.
While we recognize these few outstanding reviewers, we also acknowledge the incredible service to the community by all the researchers who have conducted reviews to help ensure the quality, timeliness, and reputation of AGU journals. We also welcome new and first-time reviewers who have joined the family of community servants who act as integrity stewards and have been providing authors with valuable feedback to improve their science and communication. In 2025, AGU received more than 24,000 submissions, which was a significant increase from 2024, and published 8,870 articles, which is an increase of more than 1,300 from the previous year. Most submissions were reviewed multiple times—in all, more than 20,000 reviewers completed 43,804 reviews in 2025.
With so many geopolitical factors shifting around the globe, having robust international representation among peer reviewers and editors is increasing in importance. And the challenges of maintaining the peer review system remain elevated. Volunteer reviewers in Europe and the United States receive more invitations than they can accept, while research output in China is now the highest of any country. AGU journals continue to make progress in balancing the efforts of colleagues serving our community via conducting peer reviews even as they often struggle to invite a proportional number of reviewers across the globe. Likewise, early career researchers request training and seek opportunities to enter the peer review system. AGU is committed to building further entrance points to peer reviewing including its co-reviewing program and early career editorial training programs in individual journals.
Amidst these challenges, each AGU journal works to maintain low time frames from submission to first decision and publication, and consistently maintains industry-leading standards. Reviewers play a central role in the rapid feedback and publishing of new science that is at the heart of advancing the Earth and space sciences.
Editorials in each journal express our appreciation, along with reviewer recognition lists. Our thanks are a small acknowledgment of the large service that reviewers bear in improving our science and its role in society.
Additional Thanks
In addition, we are working to highlight the valuable role of reviewers through events at AGU’s Annual Meeting and other meetings.
We will continue to work with the Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) network to provide official recognition of reviewers’ efforts, so that reviewers receive formal credit there. In 2025, 6,286 of the more than 20,000 reviewers linked their review activity to their ORCID, taking the opportunity to receive formal recognition for their peer review efforts. Separately, as of July 7, 2026, 132,522 users in our system have an ORCID associated with their account.
Getting Your Feedback
We value your feedback, including ideas about how we can recognize your efforts even more, improve your experience, and increase your input into the science. Feel free to send your comments to publications@agu.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
Once again: Thanks to our Outstanding Reviewers of 2025!
—Matt Giampoala (mgiampoala@agu.org, 
0000-0002-0208-2738), Vice President, Publications, American Geophysical Union; and Steven A. Hauck II (0000-0001-8245-146X), Chair, AGU Publications Committee
Citation: Giampoala, M., and S. A. Hauck II (2026), In appreciation of AGU’s outstanding reviewers of 2025, Eos, 107, https://doi.org/10.1029/2026EO265037. Published on 14 September 2026.
This article does not represent the opinion of AGU, Eos, or any of its affiliates. It is solely the opinion of the author(s).
Text © 2026. The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
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