peer review

• the aim of science is to produce knowledge through research. also, it matters how this knowledge is communicated within the scientific community. research findings are publicised theough conferences or textbooks. beofre research can become part of a journal, it must be subject to a process called peer review. this involves all aspects of the written investigation being scrutinised by a small group of usually two or three experts in the particular field. the experts should be objective and unknown to the author
• the steps of peer review: 1. a researcher completes a study and writes it up in an article. 2. they submit it to a journal for publication 3. the journals editors send the article to several other scientists who work in the same field 4. those reviewers provide feedback on the article and tell the editor whether or not they think the study is of high enough quality to be published 5. only articles that eed good scientific standards are accepted for publication
• the three aims of peer review is to 1. allocate research funding, indepedant peer evaluation also takes place to decide whether to award funding for a research project. 2. validate the quality and relevance of the research. all elements of research are assessed for quality and accuracy; the formulation of the hypothesis, the methodology used, the statistical test used and conclusions drawn 3. suggest amendments and improvements. reviewers may suggest minor revision of the work or thy may conclude that the work in inappropriate for publication
• one limitation of peer review is the issue with anonymity. a minority of reviewers may use their anonymity as a way of critising rival researchers who they perceive as having crossed them in the past. this may be due to the fact that researchers are in direct competition due to lack of funding. to overcome this some journals favour an open reviewing system where the names of reviewers are made public
• another limitation is peer review is the issue of publication bias. editors want to publish journal that have significant findings to increase the credibility of their publication. they are also more likely to produce postive results (file drawer problem). this means that research that does not meet these criteria are ignored which gives a false impression of the current state of psychology
• another issue with peer review is that ground breaking research may be burried. the peer review process may suppress opposition to mainstream theories wishing to maintain a status quo. reviewers tend to be critical of research that contradicts their own view. established researchers are the ones more likey to be chosen as reviewers. findings that chime with current opinion are more likey to be passed than new research that challenges order. therefore, peer review may have the effect of slowing down the rate of change within a scientific discipline
• one of the wider concerns for psychology is what the implications of research are for the economy. by implications we mean what is learnt from the findings that affect the economys prosperity
• implications of psychological research for the economy: role of the father 1. bowlby first asserted that a child can only form a secure monotropic bond with the mother. 2. recent research on multiple attachments suggests father may fufill the role of mother and this is no less valuable in the child upbringing. - psychological research has shown both parents are capable of providing emotional support for healthy development. this promotes flexible work arrangements within the family which means modern parents can contribute to the economy
• implication of psychological research for the economy: absence from work costs the economy 15 billion a year. a recent government report revealed 1/3 of absences of caused by mental health disorders. psychological research into the treatments of mental illness plays an important role in supporting a healthy workforce. depression and ocd may be treated by SSRIs or CBT. this means sufferers can manage their condition effectivley and return to work