Peer Review

Question 1

What is peer review?

Answer 1

A process that takes place before a study is published to ensure the researcher of high quality

Question 2

What is objectivity?

Answer 2

To base conclusions and judgement on factual data, rather than subjective experiences

Question 3

State the three main aims of peer review.

Answer 3

• To decide whether or not to award funding for a proposed research project
• To validate the quality and relevance of the research
• To suggest amendments or improvements to the project: in extreme cases it may be suggested for the work to not be published altogether

Question 4

Describe the process of peer review.

Answer 4

Researcher writes an article and submits to editors
Editor checks quality and contents - they will either accept or reject
Reviewer will then review article for quality of contents
Article returns to editor along with feedback- reject or revise
Article returned to researcher along with feedback - they must revise and submit it
Editor receives revised feedback and decides whether to publish or not
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Question 5

State the limitations of peer review.

Answer 5

• Anonymity - a small number of reviewers use this as a way of criticising rival reviewers, as no opinion is traced back to them
• Publication bias - journalists may leave out negative findings or reviews as a way to increase the credibility and readership of the study (also known as the file draw theory)
• Burying ground-breaking research - people may avoid to publish research that doesn’t align with societal or personal beliefs and expectations and this can slow down the rate of change in psychological research