peer review

Question 1

what is peer review (2 marks)

Answer 1

the process by which psychological research papers are subjected to independent scrutiny by other psychologists who work in a similar field. This is done before publication so that the research can be considered in terms of its validity, significance, originality and quality

Question 2

peer review process

Answer 2

• reviewers are sent the work by a journal editor
• they can recommend for the results to either be published, revised, or rejected
• single-blind review can be used where the names of the reviewers are not revealed to the researchers
• double blind review can be used where both the reviewers and researchers are anonymous
• open review can be used where reviewers and researchers are known to each other. This encourages honest review and reduces plagiarism

Question 3

weaknesses of single/double blind and open reviews

Answer 3

single- reviewers may delay their reviews so they can publish similar research first (plagiarism). Reviewers may hide behind anonymity to be unusually harsh

double- researcher may be identified by their writing style

open- deserved criticism is watered down due to politeness or fear of retribution from more famous/powerful researchers

Question 4

what are the 3 main purposes of peer review

Answer 4

• allocation of research funding (governments have a budget and duty to spend it responsibly by reviewing which research is worthwhile)
• publication of research in scientific journal and books (scientists can share their results. incorrect data is much less likely to enter the public domain)
• assessing the research rating of university departments (future funding for their departments depends on receiving good ratings from peer reviews)

Question 5

why is peer review important

Answer 5

• checks validity/credibility of research
• assesses quality of the methodology
• peers can judge how important the research is in the wider context of psychology
• peers recommend whether the work can be published, revised or rejected
• ensures that research published has integrity instead of opinion and speculation
• consequences of false/unscientific research being accepted are serious