Peer Review in Scientific Publications
The Science and Technology Committee of the UK's House of Commons has just published "Peer Review in Scientific Publications" and it does little to bolster the view that peer review is any sort of a seal of approval of sound science. "We found that despite the many criticisms and the little solid evidence on the efficacy of pre-publication editorial peer review, it is considered by many as important and not something that can be dispensed with." It's a safety blanket at best and one that, with the advent of the internet, is yielding to calls for more transparency rather than better editorial gatekeepers. Critical thinking FTW.
