Where are the carrots? A proposal to start crediting peer reviewers for their contribution to science.

Key points: The peer review system is viewed by many as being flawed and antiquated.While it is unlikely that the system will be overhauled completely, some changes seem to be warranted.Our proposal is to change the incentives to do peer review by making reviews a part of the tenure criteria and valuing reviews as a contribution to the literature.The proposal would require more transparency than is currently the industry norm to prevent unwanted effects.We believe these changes would not only increase willingness to review, but also lead to shorter turnaround times and increase the quality of reviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]