Elsevier and Sense about Science recently published a report surveying the attitudes of 3000 researchers towards peer review. This follows an earlier report issued in 2009 and reveals what has changed and what has remained the same.
The findings reveal that there is greater satisfaction with the peer review system than in the earlier survey. However, peer review is no longer relied upon for guaranteeing quality, and researchers frequently cross-check published research to determine its validity. There is increasing demand for recognition of peer review activities by the researchers, and they feel that reviewing is not well understood by the public.
There were clear concerns over the growth in publications at the expense of quality. Low quality peer review and predatory journals were frequently mentioned. The use of AI to aid review was met with some scepticism, and three quarters felt that supplementary materials and data should also be reviewed (rising to 90% of chemists).
The report can be downloaded from the Sense About Science website here
Comments