Amidst increasing rejection rates for journal submissions, we delve into key aspects of peer review. Peer review of manuscripts is the cornerstone of vetting and clarifying our literature. To help better understand this process, we begin with an overview of peer review, its pivotal components, and the concepts which enable us to best examine submissions. In doing so, we discuss evaluations of data validity and how they serve reviewers and submitting authors alike. Then, within that context, we discuss the assessment of a specific type of manuscript – those focused on economic evaluations, since clinicians are increasingly faced with these publications in this era of cost concerns. Cost-effectiveness analyses often have a broad impact and form the basis of medical decisions and healthcare policy. Cost-related analyses also have inherent challenges and potential pitfalls, and it is helpful to understand the factors which contribute to sound economic evaluations. To further ensure that we are able stewards of our literature, we seek to share the optimal components of the peer review process. We thus explain the conceptual approach, as well as specific details related to these efforts. Intended for peer reviewers, authors, and critical readers of these manuscripts, this presentation has both didactic and interactive components. The course instructors are the Editor-in-Chief-Elect and Deputy Editor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and OTO-Open, the official journals of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.