Nordic Council of Ministers

Peer review procedure

General peer review description

A working committee or a programme committee commissions an external part to perform a study. A designated member of the working committee reviews the findings of the external part with particular focus on the validity of the methodology and the soundness of the data.

If the reviewer encounters any errors in the methodology or any inaccuracy in the data the manuscript will be rejected for publication until the errors have been improved.

If needed the reviewer will consult other members of the working committee or other peers to validate the review.

Peer review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

More than 100 scientific experts have been involved in this revision. Existing scientific evidence has been reviewed for setting dietary reference values (DRVs) that will ensure optimal nutrition and help prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, certain types of cancer, type-2 diabetes, and obesity as well as the related risk factors for these diseases.

The experts have assessed the associations between dietary patterns, foods, and nutrients and specific health outcomes. The work has mainly focused on revising areas in which new scientific knowledge has emerged.

Systematic reviews (SR) were conducted by the experts, with assistance from librarians, for the nutrients and topics for which new data of specific importance for setting the recommendations has been made available since the 4th edition. Less stringent updates of the reference values were conducted for the other nutrients and topics.

Peer reviewers for each nutrient and topic have also been engaged in the process of reading and commenting on the SRs and the updates conducted by the expert groups. A reference group consisting of senior experts representing various fields of nutrition science both within and outside the Nordic countries has also been engaged in the project. A steering group with representatives from national authorities in each country has been responsible for the overall management of the project.

All chapters were subject to public consultations from October 2012 to September 2013. The responses and actions to the comments by the NNR working group are published separately.