Is desk rejection peer review?

Desk rejection is largely a perversion of peer review. Why am I saying this? Because journals call it peer review. Peer review demands that a manuscript be reviewed by subject experts or peers. Desk rejection, by definition, means the manuscript has not been sent to peers for review.

Can an editor be a peer reviewer? Yes. But, most of the times, we only see vague comments in the desk-rejection letter, which are absolutely unhelpful to the authors. Needless to say, the arbitrary power to desk reject provides a fertile ground for personal, racial, and other biases. This is exactly how desk rejection negatively impacts people from developing countries. It leaves them in a state of confusion and helplessness.

Journals often claim they are receiving an overwhelming number of submissions. That is an excuse. If the number of submissions increases, increase the number of editors. It is as simple as that. I am not saying there cannot be valid grounds for desk rejection. Desk rejection can help journals improve their impact factors by selecting articles, likely to be cited more.

However, it is wrong to label it peer review.