PEER REVIEW

• What is peer review?

  before publication all aspects of the investigation are scrutinised by experts in the field
• what are the aims of peer review?

  Funding - allocate research funding

  Validation of the quality and relevance of research

  Improvements and amendments are suggested
• strength of peer review?

  Protects quality of published research - it minimises the possibility of fraudulent research and means published research is of the highest quality
• weaknesses of peer review?

  Anonymity may be used to criticise rival research - competition for limited research funding

  publication bias - tendency for editors of journals to want headline-grabbing findings

  Ground breaking research may be buried - may be more critical of research that contradicts their own view