Peer review can be helpful, even after publication

The peer review process is often seen as something that ends at the point of publication. But it is only after publication that most conversations surrounding a paper can begin! By virtue of an extended audience, often the feedback one receives at this post-publication stage is just as valuable as the feedback received during the initial peer review process.

This was perhaps best-emphasized to me following a recent publication on antimicrobial peptide evolution in Diptera. Our reviewers for this publication were experts in insect immunity and symbiosis, and contributed valuable input to improve the manuscript as a whole. However it was only after presenting this work to a diverse audience that key questions regarding some elements of the story were asked. Herein I summarize these key questions raised, and provide answers that hopefully further improve the reader's confidence in the claims made in the publication:

Hanson MA, Lemaitre B, Unckless RL. 2019. Dynamic Evolution of Antimicrobial Peptides Underscores Trade-Offs Between Immunity and Ecological Fitness. Frontiers in Immunology, 10, 2620. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.02620

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