USU Scholar's Dissertation on Scholarly Review Practices Earns National Recognition

One researcher at Utah State University set out to dismantle barriers in a process that is often seen as a necessary but grueling rite of passage.

Hannah Stevens completed her dissertation on the negative aspects of scholarly peer review in May 2024, offering a practical framework for making academic publishing more inclusive and accessible.

The dissertation earned an honorable mention for the Outstanding Dissertation Award in Technical Communication from The Conference on College Composition & Communication — an accolade that places Stevens among other leading academics in the field.

Stevens was inspired to pursue this research after experiencing a discouraging peer review process firsthand. Her research ultimately sought ways to improve the system for the academic community at large.

“I questioned why a process so integral to a scholar’s career could be harmful, confusing and sometimes really unfair,” she said.

One of the most significant findings from her research was the realization that all participants in the publishing process are human beings with complex experiences and biases.

“It might seem obvious, but something harmful to one scholar may not be to another,” Stevens said. “It’s important to remember that peer reviewers, authors and editors are all humans on the other end of their feedback and manuscripts.”

Beyond personal achievement, she hopes this recognition will encourage future graduate students to seek similar accolades.

“The work we do is so important, and I hope every graduate student remembers that their work matters and deserves recognition,” Stevens said.

The award committee praised the dissertation for offering a “practical and critical toolkit” to improve scholarly review practices. Stevens emphasized that actionable recommendations were a key priority in her work.

“Research is important, but I wanted to focus on what we could do moving forward, so that something could actually change, even in small ways,” Stevens said.

One of those changes has already taken shape. Stevens implemented her recommendations by teaching an academic publishing course in the fall of 2024 for undergraduate students in Technical Communication and Rhetoric, followed by a graduate-level version in spring of 2025.

While choosing a career in industry over academia, she remains committed to scholarly research and education. She hopes to publish more on this topic in the future.

Her advice to graduate students navigating the publishing process is to talk to people who have experience in publishing.

“Don’t navigate the process alone, even if it’s a cold email to me,” she said. “Confide in a mentor, professor, or friend and ask for their advice. Academic publishing should be a process we demystify, and we do that by communicating and supporting each other.”

With a dissertation that has already sparked meaningful conversations and practical change, Stevens’ work is poised to shape the future of scholarly publishing — one barrier at a time.