lesson 10 peer review research methods

Question 1

what do peer reviews aim to do?

Answer 1

retain the integrity of psychological research

Question 2

what do peer reviews involve?

Answer 2

an independent scrutiny of a research report by other psychologists working in a similar field

Question 3

what do the other psychologists check?

Answer 3

the research report before deciding whether or not it should be published in a psychological journal

Question 4

what about the work is considered?

Answer 4

validity
reliability
significance
originality

Question 5

what can the reviewers do after checking the research report?

Answer 5

accept the research report
accept the research report with revisions
suggest the author makes revisions to the research report and re-submits it
reject the research report without the possibility of re-submission

Question 6

who makes the final decision to accept or reject the research report?

Answer 6

editors of psychological journals

Question 7

how do the people who make the final decision to accept or reject the research report actually make the final decision?

Answer 7

based on the reviewers’ comments and recommendations

Question 8

what is done before research takes place?

Answer 8

research proposals are submitted to panel and assessed for the merit

Question 9

what is the purpose of a peer review?

Answer 9

ensures the quality and relevance of research and accuracy of findings which in turn reduces the chances of flawed, unscientific research being published
also evaluates research proposals in order to determine whether or not to award research funding

Question 10

strengths of peer review

Answer 10

independent scrutiny increases the probability of errors being identified as authors and researchers are less objective about their own work than peers are
double blind technique can be used so researcher is kept anonymous and doesn’t know who will peer review their work
involves a specialist psychologist in the field judging the work and they will have exceptional knowledge in order to make the best judgement

Question 11

weaknesses of peer review

Answer 11

an expert might not be found so poor research might be positively reviewed because the reviewer didn’t understand it
journals tend to prefer positive results because editors want to increase the standing of their journal so bias in published research
can be an unfair process where some reviewers have connections with certain unis and therefore favouritism or bias might occur