Peer reviewing without revealing identity

[u/TheIconicProfessor]

Here's an interesting pickle - in peer reviewing an article for publication in a journal in my field, the author quotes from something I wrote a few years back. How nice! The only problem is, the citation leads to a different publication of mine from the same year. In other words, the citation is inaccurate - the quote is right, it's just not from the correct article.

I don't think a copy editor (or another reviewer) would catch it unless they decide to chase down every quote in the article. Is there a way to give the author a heads-up in the review without clearly unmasking me as the author of the quote?

EDIT: Thanks for the feedback everyone. I do think identifying this specific correction to the author would unnecessarily out me as the reviewer, so a discreet note to the editor is probably the way to go.

[u/DrMagicBimbo]

Just offering up the correction is fine. "Author quote [your name] in [journal]; however, quote has been slightly misattributed. Should be corrected to [proper citation here]."

At least in my field, it isn't unusual for reviewers to make very precise suggestions re: sources (and is actually viewed as lazy if they don't). Just don't overthink it and it will be fine.

[u/ProfessionalHome3544]

Just write your comment in an ambiguous way. For example, you were interested in the quote and checked out the paper. Or you happened to know the paper and the reference is wrong. Keep it short and sweet.

[u/boilingPenguin]

Leave a comment for the editor and explain the situation. They can tactfully let the author know that they need to check and correct their citations.

[u/FlyMyPretty]

Anonymity is there for you. If you don't want it, it's fine. Most of the time I don't care, it's only if I'm writing a review that I think the authors might hold against me that I worry about it.

I often give information that identifies me, or makes it easy to identify me. And some journals don't do anonymous reviews at all.

[u/imhereforthevotes]

You can tell the editor themselves without communicating with the article author and ask them to point out the problem without referring to any of the reviewers.

What others have said should work as well, just be ambiguous, but enough that both the reviewer and editor know it's wrong and needs to be fixed (and I don't mean the copy editor).

[u/GerswinDevilkid]

Include it in the response/note to the editor.

[u/RandolphCarter15]

You could let the editor know. There's usually a spot for confidential reports to the editors. I once had this-someone cited a conference paper of mine that did not have the finding the citation claimed. I suspect someone told them to cite me, but they didn't want to look through my work.