The Peer Review System: A Journal Editor's 30-Year Perspective

Area of Science:

• Scientific publishing
• Scholarly communication

Background:

• The peer review system is the standard for scientific article evaluation.
• This system, established in the mid-1800s, has persistent challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the inherent difficulties within the scientific peer review process.
• To discuss the impact of reviewer burden, motivation, and bias.
• To consider the potential influence of artificial intelligence on peer review.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the historical and current operational aspects of the peer review system.
• Identification of systemic issues including reviewer workload and potential biases.
• Exploration of the implications of emerging technologies like AI.

Main Results:

• Reviewers are volunteers facing significant time and effort demands, leading to delays.
• Inherent biases among reviewers, authors, editors, and journals can impact the process.
• Existing methods to mitigate bias, such as blinding, have had limited success.

Conclusions:

• The traditional peer review system is burdened by volunteer limitations and potential biases.
• Artificial intelligence presents a transformative, yet uncertain, future for scientific peer review.