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I am writing a peer review and there is an animation I want to share along with it. I can't embed it in the PDF, so what other options do I have besides websites like imgur or youtube that lack professionality? I often like to refer to and post content on these sites, e.g. when doing peer review, but it feels a little unprofessional due to the ads and other recommendations.

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    I think I'm a bit confused. Do you also incorporate references to Discord, Facebook or Twitter in reviews? The issue with those isn't the platform, it's the quality and verifiability of any factual element in the content itself.
    – user176372
    Commented Dec 17, 2023 at 21:56
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    @TomSolberg: Why can't you just submit the animation as a separate file together with your review?
    – Jochen Glueck
    Commented Dec 17, 2023 at 23:20
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    I would think the suggestion by @JochenGlueck is the best option, as it ensures there is no ex parte communication between reviewer and authors. If that's not possible, maybe you could use a data repository site. There are several that can be used in a way that preserves anonymity, and have support for in-browser viewing of images and videos.
    – Anyon
    Commented Dec 18, 2023 at 0:16
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    Providing this infrastructure is the responsibility of the journal, not the reviewer. I'd talk to the editor who requested your review to decide on the best course of action.
    – Steven Clontz
    Commented Dec 18, 2023 at 2:41
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    There's really nothing unprofessional about putting it on youtube... Just make sure it's unlisted
    – ScottishTapWater
    Commented Dec 18, 2023 at 14:56

3 Answers 3

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I recommend Figshare which supports sharing scientific data in various formats (images, videos, structured data, code, etc). You have the option to share with or without creating a DOI. However, beware that in the context of blind peer-review this might allow authors to identify you.

Zenodo is also a good option, but in this case associating a DOI is not optional.

Alternatively, you could just send the video to the editor to share with the authors.

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It is the responsibility of the journal to provide you with the means to effectively do your job as a reviewer. So, if you need to share an animation file, you can ask the journal for advice on how to do that.

At the same time, consider the possibility that the fact that the journal does not offer a convenient way to share animation files suggests that they do not think sharing such files is appropriate or necessary in the context of a peer review. In other words, unless they have indicated otherwise, they expect a written review, so that’s what you should probably aim to provide them with.

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    Also it may be worth considering that the animation file's metadata could potentially leak information about the reviewer's identity - especially if it is a self-generated file.
    – pygri
    Commented Dec 18, 2023 at 13:24
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I'm an EiC for a journal, have been for years. youtube and imgur domains are fine. Keep the words professional - nobody cares much about the website.

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