RM - The scientific process and peer review Flashcards
What is peer review?
The practice of using independent experts to assess the quality and validity of scientific research and academic reports.
What does peer review stop from happening?
Fraudulent or flawed work being published.
Who published fraudulent research?
Cyril Burt.
Marc Heuser.
What did Cyril Burt’s research show?
That intelligence was inherited by using twins.
Who accused Burt of inventing data?
Leon Kamin.
Who tried and failed to find the two assistant researchers of Cyril Burt?
Oliver Gillie.
What test did Cyril Burt help to establish?
The 11-plus examination used in the UK to identify which children should go to grammar school rather than secondary models.
What was Marc Heuser’s fraudulent research on?
Monkeys and their cognitive abilities.
What does fraudulent research mean there is a lack of?
Trust in scientific data.
Apart from a lack of trust, what is another key issue of fraudulent research?
The fraudulent data still remains published and so there are people who will continue to use the faulty data not knowing that it is discredited.
What process is peer review part of?
The scientific process.
What is the intention of peer reviewing?
To ensure that any research conducted and published is of high quality.
What are the three main purposes of peer review and who suggests these?
The parliamentary Office of Science and Technology suggests the three main purposes served are:
Allocation of research funding - So they can decide which research will be worthwhile.
Publication of research in academic journals and books - Preventing incorrect and faulty data entering the public domain.
Assessing the research rating of university departments - They are assessed on the quality of their research to give them a certain rating.
Give an example of an online site that is peer reviewed:
Wikipedia.
