Rubric and Metrics for Peer Reviewing Research Comics

Abstract

As comics-based research (CBR) gains wider use, methodological and practical guides have been developed to aid scholars in the creation of research comics. Similar support has not yet appeared for the other key element of scholarly publication: peer review. This article aims to build on the current best practices of CBR methodology to outline an easy-to-use tool which can bridge the gap between research comics and the non-CBR specialists who are called upon to evaluate them. While a peer reviewer may possess the expertise to evaluate the scientific validity of the research claims or results communicated logocentrically, they may feel unprepared to opine on the equally important visual  plane  due  to  the  perceived  subjectivity  of  graphics  as  pure  art. The  Form  that  Functions Rubric for Research Comics proposed in this article offers clear steps to move through the visual plane, neutral terminology to verbalize essential features of the visual plane, and several examples of the application of this rubric on existing research comics. By empowering reviewers and readers to approach the visual plane as a component of the scholarly argument rather than an aesthetic flourish, the peer review process of research comics can become more ethical and rigorous.

Keywords

• applied comics
• comics-based research
• methodology