Peer Review

Question 1

What are the three main aims of peer review?

Answer 1

1. To allocate research funding - this may be coordinated by government run funding organisations
2. To Validate the quality and relevance of research e.g the method used, the conclusions drawn etc
3. To suggest amendments or improvements - may suggest minor revisions, in extreme circumstances they may conclude the work is inappropriate for publication

Question 2

What are the three potential limitations of Peer Review?

Answer 2

• Anonymity: reviewers remain anonymous and may be overly critical of rival researchers as they are all in competition for limited funding
• Publication Bias: journals only want to publish ‘positive’ and ‘headline grabbing’ research, other research gets ignored.
• Burying Groundbreaking research: slow down the rate of change in a particular area as psychologists with already existing research don’t want theories to be disproven