peer review

• peer review is the practice of using independent experts to assess quality and validity of scientific research and academic reports
• main aims of peer review include

  • allocation of research funding - decide whether or not to award funding for proposed research projects
  • validate and relevance of research - all elements of research are assessed for quality and accuracy - formulation of hypothesis, methodology chosen and conclusions drawn
  • suggest amendments or improvements - may suggest minor revisions of work or may conclude work is inappropriate for publication and so should be withdrawn
• strengths of peer review

  • anonymity is there to protect the researcher and those who are reviewing - allows to establish data is valid and reliable and which is not trusted
  • can be unbiased due to those reviewing not knowing researcher
• limitations of peer review

  • you cannot always find suitable expert
  • anonymity is not perfect - reviewers may use their anonymity against authors they are reviewing
  • publication bias - usually wanting positive results suggesting not all research is published
  • cannot be applied to all research already published - people can be exposed to data that is not valid