peer review

Cards (4)

  • 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- may suggest minor revisions of work or may conclude work is inappropriate for publication and so should be withdrawn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