Peer Review in Scholarly Journals - perspective of the scholarly community:  an international study

Mark Ware & Mike Monkman, Mark Ware Consulting

Research Paper

Summary Paper

News Release (25 January 2008)

Peer review is an essential component of scholarly communication. It is the mechanism that facilitates the publication of primary research in respected scientific journals. In recent years there has been a good deal of debate about the effectiveness of peer review. There is, however, little reliable data to inform these discussions.  The PRC has therefore commissioned new research that will provide quantitative data to enlighten the debate on peer review.  Establishing baseline data will not only provide greater understanding of the current position of peer review, but will also provide a platform for future studies.

The main objective of this research is to measure the attitudes and behaviour of the academic community with regard to peer review. This will inform debate concerning peer review, and underpin discussions, either in discussion lists or at future workshops/conferences.