How to Read Science Research, Chapter 1: What is "Peer-Reviewed" and Why Do We Care?

In this day and age, it’s pretty easy for almost anyone to publish almost anything. See: this blog, other blogs, Twitter.

How do we know what we’re reading is accurate? Important? Truthful?

One method we have is peer review.

Peer review is a process that allows experts in a field to evaluate articles before they are published. These experts make sure the article meets their standards of quality before publishing.

This quality control includes looking carefully at an experiment’s design to make sure the results accurately reflect what the scientists think they reflect and that there aren’t other explanations that haven’t been considered.

Peer reviewers also make sure the scientists don’t overstate the significance of their results. For example, when I was writing my doctoral dissertation, my advisor would make sure I never suggested someone “should” do something when the research only “supports the use of” something or shows that it “could benefit” them. For this reason, peer-reviewed research often avoids words like “proved”, that are more likely to be found in sensationalist news tabloids or dubious advertisements.

While peer review has existed as long as there have been proofreaders and editors, the first modern example of peer review in a research journal was in 1731, when the Royal Society of Edinburgh published a series of peer-reviewed medical articles.

What are the downsides of peer review? It takes time and can introduce bias. It does not catch every mistake (or every intentional fraud). Careful consideration of reviewers’ biases, along with hiding authors’ names from reviewers, can help. It is the best system we have.

Peer review is the “gold standard” in the science community. It provides extra readers for formal publications, so honest mistakes and dishonesty are less likely to slip through the cracks. In a trusted journal, it gives the reader confidence that the experiments are well-designed, the conclusions are valid, and the research is worthy of sharing.

Stay tuned for the Chapter 2: Where To Find Peer-Reviewed Research.

Sources:

https://guides.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/c.php?g=288333&p=1922599

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/information-culture/the-birth-of-modern-peer-review/