What is peer review?

Peer review is the process where experts from a specific field or discipline evaluate the quality of a peer’s research to assess the validity, quality and often the originality of articles for publication. It is the foundation for safeguarding the quality and integrity of scholarly research.

Benefits of peer review

• Enhances quality: It improves the overall quality of research by providing authors with constructive feedback and suggestions for revision.
• Identifies errors: Peer reviewers may identify inaccuracies, methodological issues and gaps in reasoning.
• Facilitates collaboration: Peer review fosters connections between authors and reviewers, potentially leading to collaborations and further research opportunities.

The peer review process isn’t perfect. Critics highlight that despite peer review, some articles still contain inaccuracies, and many rejected papers find publication elsewhere.

However, these criticisms should be understood within the context of peer review as a human activity. The occasional errors of peer review are not reasons for abandoning the process altogether.

Improving effectiveness

Some of the ways we are seeking to improve the efficiency of the review process include:

• Innovating transferable peer review systems to reduce the amount of repeat reviewing
• Providing training and best practice guidance to peer reviewers
• Improving recognition of the contribution made by reviewers

Visit our Peer Review Process and Types of Peer Review pages for additional detailed information on peer review.