Navigating Your Library

Peer Review

Peer review is a specific editorial process used by some journals. When a journal uses the peer review process, they are considered scholarly. Here is what that process looks like, step-by-step. This process can take several months and sometimes up to two years.

1. A researcher has an idea, designs a study, and collects and analyzes data.
2. The researcher writes up their findings and sends this draft to the editor of the journal
3. The editor sends this draft to other researchers in the same field.
4. These other researchers review the draft and return it to the editor with their comments. They are considering if those methods used to obtain the data are sound, if errors were made, and if the research is original.
5. The editor decides if the article should be accepted, accepted with revisions, or rejected.

Peer review is considered a rigorous quality-control process. It isn't perfect, and we can find examples of faulty research that have made it through the peer review process and are then retracted later. Peer review is an important part of a complex and imperfect research ecosystem.