Peer review is a system for assessing the quality of scientific research before it is published. It is an essential dividing line for judging what is scientific and what is speculation. The process screens articles and requires that authors meet the standards of their discipline and achieve scientific objectivity.

Peer review is conducted independent of the research itself. Unlike the research, which is routinely funded by endowments, government grants, foundations and other institutional sources, the peer review process is managed and paid for by the journal publishers. Publishers invest hundreds of millions of dollars each year to manage this rigorous review, maintaining the integrity of scientific and medical research.

Importantly, a publisher has no influence whatsoever in the decision whether to accept or reject an individual article for publication. Editors and editorial boards make such decisions. Publisher neutrality and editorial independence are cornerstones of the scientific, technical and medical communication system, allowing the impartial validation of research findings and ensuring that science is more than opinion.

The independent charitable trust Sense About Science has published a guide to peer review and why it is so important, both to science and the public. Click here to read more about what others are saying about the importance of peer review.

What happens during the peer review process?

The peer review process begins upon the completion of a manuscript reporting on a research project and its submission to a peer reviewed journal for consideration.

Upon receipt of the raw manuscript, journal editors take the first step in the peer review process by first determining whether it is within the scope of the publication and merits further review by independent subject matter experts, often called 'referees.'

These impartial and objective referees, who are experts in the same field of endeavor, then scrutinize the manuscript for originality, significance, validity, and clarity of theory and findings. Referees will often comment on the manuscript, providing input that helps authors improve or expand on the original submission. Because peer review must be rigorous to ensure the quality of the findings, this part of the process can take weeks or even months to complete, depending on the nature of the original manuscript

After a submission has successfully undergone this thorough review, it is returned to the journal editors for a final determination of its suitability for publication. Most people are surprised to learn that many submissions are not accepted for ultimate publication. In fact, some prestigious journals have acceptance rates as low as 10% . Regardless of the acceptance rate, journals expend great resources handling manuscripts that are not published.

Submissions that undergo a successful peer review and are selected for publication then go through the pre-publication process. This is a painstaking process involving final editing and proofreading, layout, graphics and other aspects of the process of publishing, distributing and archiving the material. The entire process - from the initial receipt of the original manuscript through peer review, revision and final publication - is entirely managed and financed by the journal and its publishers.

What role does the publisher play?

Publishers manage the peer review process, provide the infrastructure for the process to operate and bear the substantial costs associated with overseeing and conducting peer review and preparing articles for publication.

The publisher, along with the editor, sets the journal's general aims and objectives and also assists the editor(s) in selecting the composition of the editorial board.

Publishers provide the framework and technical tools for editors to facilitate the peer review process for electronic submission, reviewing, editing, etc.

Publishers provide proofreading, copyediting, layout, graphics, branding to the article, preparing articles for publication, and marketing and promoting the research.

Publishers disseminate information globally through large scale platforms designed and built to serve the functionality needs of researchers.

While the process involves many versions of an article, publishers preserve and safeguard the final published journal article, which serves as the definitive record of the minutes of science.

To learn more about the peer review process, visit Sense About Science and read their guide, "I Don't Know What to Believe: Making Sense of Science Stories."

http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/pdf/ShortPeerReviewGuide.pdf."