Peer review Flashcards
What is the role of peer review?
research is published in academic journals. The research must be accurate and valid so we quality assure using peer review. A small group of experts in the field (“peers”) will check all elements of the research e.g. methods, data, conclusions etc. to make sure they are accurate. Peers should be objective and unknown to original researcher.
What are the main aims of peer review?
- Allocate research funding
- Validate quality and relevance of research
- Suggest amendments or improvements
- Allocate research funding
independent peer evaluation to decide if a proposed project should get funding or not e.g. Medical Research Council.
- Validate quality and relevance of research
all elements assessed for quality and accuracy e.g. formulation of hypotheses, methodology, stats tests and conclusions.
Suggest amendments or improvements
reviewers may suggest minor revisions of the work to improve report. Or, they may conclude it should not be published and it should be withdrawn.
What are the benefits of peer review?
Establishes validity and accuracy of research
What are the limitations of peer review?
ANONYMITY
PUBLICATION BIAS
BURYING GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH
How is anonymity a limitation?
a minority of reviewers may use their anonymity as a way of criticising rival researchers who have crossed them in the past. (researchers are in direct competition for limited funding). Therefore some journals favour a system of open reviewing where the names of reviewers are made public.
explain publication bias as a limitation
editors want to publish significant findings to increase the credibility of their research and prefer to publish positive results which creates a false impression of the current state of psychology.
explain burying groundbreaking research as a limitation
the peer review may suppress opposition to mainstream theories.
