Peer Review and the Economy

• what is a peer review?

  • A system used by scientists to determine whether research should be published in scientific journals.
  • papers are independently scrutinised by scientific experts in the field.
  • acts like a filter system to reduce the chances of flawed or unscientific research being accepted as well supported.
  • Several expert reviewers are sent copies of a researcher’s/’ work
  • reviewers report back and make suggestions for improvement. 
  • work will either be accepted unconditionally, accepted with improvements, rejected outright, or rejected with suggestions for resubmission.
• what should peer reviewers take into consideration?

  • Whether research design and methodology is appropriate.
  • Whether methods used to analyse data are appropriate.
  • Whether conclusions drawn are justified given the data.
  • Ethical issues with the research or in publishing the paper.
  • Potential sources of bias.
  • Whether the research is significant, is it original is it contributing something new to the field?
  • plagiarism?
  • consequences of the research when academics/politicians see it/act on it?
• what does Sir Cyril Burt's case show?

  • shows how a completely fabricated piece of research can make such an implication on society - eleven-plus examination
• what is the importance of peer review?

  • Way of checking the validity of the research.
  • Ensures that the credibility of the research is assessed by those most qualified to do so before it becomes part of the public domain.
  • This peer review process helps to ensure that any research paper published in a well - respected journal has integrity and can, therefore, be taken seriously by fellow researchers and by lay people.
  • Allocate funding.
• what are strengths of peer reviews?

  • promotes and maintains high standards in research, which has funding allocation implications (only high standard given)
  • helps prevent scientific fraud, as submitted work is scrutinised
  • promotes scientific process through the development of accurate knowledge
  • contributes new knowledge to field
  • anonymity - reviewers can be honest
  • establishes validity of research - prevents falsifiable work being accepted, helps maintain scientific credibility of psychology
  • provides valuable feedback for improvement
• what are peer review limitations?

  • anonymity - allows opportunity for scientists to bury rival work (competition for research causing biased peer review), but can be easy to guess whose research is whose
  • publication bias - want to publish positive research so may misinterpret the true facts of the research
  • can be difficult to find an appropriate reviewer (expert) and these reviewers may be biased towards prestigious researchers
  • time consuming, placing demands on academic community
• what can research cause in the economy?

  • social change
  • adoption of new ideas
  • modification of some exciting ideas and practices
• what attachment research has economical implications?

  Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment in the 1950s was taken to suggest that babies needed the constant care of the mother for healthy psychological development. This led to ‘stay at home’ mothering, so they had less opportunity to earn money through employment. Also, by suggesting men don’t have the same role in attachment, this meant their economical position was stronger being more able to work
• what psychological research has economical implications?

  
  

  Treatments for mental illnesses should help people’s ability to work and contribute as effective members of society. For example, studies often compare the effectiveness of different therapies. If research shows that people with a disorder, such as depression, are less likely to suffer a relapse after having CBT then, even though CBT might initially be more expensive than drug therapy, in the long-term it might be more economically sound to offer cognitive therapy as people would have less time off work.