peer review Flashcards
what is a peer review?
● before publication
● all aspects of investigation are scrutinised by experts (‘peers’) in the same field
● experts should be objective and unknown to the researcher
what are the aims of the peer review?
● to reduce chances of flawed / unscientific research being published and therefore treated as ‘fact’ and misinforming the public. this preserves the reputation of psychology as a science and increases credibility and status of subject (a strength of peer review)
● to improve quality of published reports by suggesting amendments or improvements to study
what are limitations of the peer review process?
● anonymity - some researchers may use their anonymous status to criticise other researchers, this could be done due to competition for limited funding
● publication bias - editors of journals want to publish headline grabbing finds therefore research that does not meet this is ignored e.g. if no significant result is found
● ground-breaking research may be buried
