the scientific process and peer review

• peer review is using independent experts to assess the quality and validity of scientific research and academic reports
• peer review serves three main purposes:

  1. allocation of research funding
  2. publication of research in academic journals and books
  3. assessing the research rating of university departments
• it may not be possible to find an appropriate expert
• reviewers may remain anonymous
• journals may prefer to publish positive results
• peer review may be biased as reviewers may wish to preserve the status quo
• published research cannot be reviewed