What’s the point of peer review?

Abstract

If there is one common experience shared by all scientists, regardless of subdiscipline, it is the gauntlet of peer review. We all know the painful experience of rejection, the frustration of acquiescing to reviewers’ demands, and the many months that can sometimes elapse between the submission of and first decision on a paper. But for many, it is the peer-review process that adds the necessary ingredient of rigor - the stamp of approval - to science. For instance, science journalists primarily cover peer-reviewed studies, and the court systems consider peer-reviewed science to be the gold standard in environmental and conservation-related cases.

Citation

Jones, Gavin M. 2024. What’s the point of peer review? Frontiers in Ecology and The Environment. 22(6): e2785.