Toe-to-Toe with Ingo

What makes a good peer reviewer—and how can a thoughtful review make science stronger?

In Episode 3 of Toe-to-Toe with Ingo, Dr. Ingo Titze welcomes voice scientist Dr. Ronald C. Scherer for a candid conversation about becoming a reviewer of scientific writing. Together, they explore the judgment, responsibility, and care involved in evaluating research and helping authors improve their work.

Topics include:

• When to accept or decline a request to review
• Recognizing strong science, clear writing, and meaningful contributions
• Evaluating citations, authorship practices, and the use of AI in scientific writing
• Offering constructive criticism with rigor and respect
• Deciding how much help to give with revisions and English usage
• Understanding anonymity in peer review and differences across journals
• Writing a clear, useful review—and growing as a scientist through the process

Whether you’re preparing to review your first manuscript, refining your approach as an experienced reviewer, or seeking to understand how your own research is evaluated, this episode offers questions worth considering.

Dr. Ronald C. Scherer is Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Bowling Green State University. His research focuses on the aerodynamics and acoustics of vocal fold vibration and voice production, and he brings decades of experience reviewing scientific manuscripts.

Hosted by Dr. Ingo Titze and moderated by Andrew Parker, Communications Director at the National Center for Voice and Speech.

Toe-to-Toe with Ingo brings leading scientists together for rigorous, respectful conversations about foundational questions in voice and speech science.

Subscribe for future episodes. Keep asking good questions—and follow the evidence where it leads.

In this episode of Toe-to-Toe with Ingo, voice scientist Dr. Ingo Titze is joined by renowned voice pedagogue Kenneth Bozeman and voice researcher Dr. Ian Howell for an in-depth discussion on the relationship between perception and acoustics in voice training. Together, they examine how singers, teachers, and researchers interpret the sounds they hear and why our perceptual experience doesn’t always align with the underlying acoustic and physiological realities of voice production.

The conversation explores a wide range of topics at the intersection of voice science and vocal pedagogy, including pitch perception, harmonic structure, vocal fry, perceived loudness, sound pressure level, acoustic “buzziness,” and the strengths and limitations of the source-filter model. Along the way, the panel considers how scientific measurement and subjective experience each contribute to effective voice teaching and how misconceptions can arise when the two are confused.

Throughout the discussion, the guests tackle fundamental questions that continue to shape both research and pedagogy: Why do we sometimes hear a pitch that isn’t physically present? Why is vocal fry often better understood as a perceptual phenomenon than a mechanical one? And how should singers and teachers reconcile what they hear, what they feel, and what acoustic measurements reveal?

As with every episode of Toe-to-Toe with Ingo, the conversation embraces rigorous scientific inquiry, respectful disagreement, and the open exchange of ideas. Whether you’re a voice scientist, clinician, teacher, student, or professional singer, this discussion offers a thoughtful exploration of how perception and acoustics together shape our understanding of the human voice.

In the inaugural episode of Toe-to-Toe with Ingo, voice scientist Dr. Ingo Titze is joined by Stanford University laryngologists Dr. Ted Mau and Dr. Elizabeth DiRenzo for an in-depth conversation on the role of basic science in laryngology. Together, they explore how foundational scientific disciplines—acoustics, fluid mechanics, biomechanics, and cellular and molecular biology—inform the study of voice production and influence the diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders.

The discussion examines how these scientific principles shape both research and clinical practice, including the training of future laryngologists. The group considers the relative strengths of different research approaches, including human subject research, animal models, bench models, and computer simulations, and discusses how emerging tools such as machine learning and artificial intelligence may change the landscape of voice science in the coming decades.

Along the way, the conversation addresses important questions facing the field: Will basic science continue to play a central role in laryngology? How might evolving NIH policies influence the use of animal models in research? And why should clinicians care deeply about the fundamental physics and physiology underlying normal voice production?

As the first episode of the series, this discussion sets the tone for Toe-to-Toe with Ingo: thoughtful, rigorous conversations among scientists who are willing to challenge ideas, engage respectfully in disagreement, and work together to advance understanding in voice and speech science.