Academic Freedom and Anonymous Peer Review

Academic Freedom and the Right to Remain Anonymous Online

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We are the founders of PubPeer.com, an online forum for scientific discussion of research scholarship. We and many of the users of our website are anonymous. That anonymity is important for free speech, for academic freedom, and for scientific inquiry. But it’s being threatened, which is why we’re going to court to defend the First Amendment right to anonymity.

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Have you ever questioned the claims that scientists make? For example, last year’s discovery of the so-called God particle, or the back-and-forth over whether caffeine is good or bad for you? Even if you haven’t, other scientists have. Analysis and criticism of the work of others is an integral part of research. The papers that scientists publish all undergo formal peer review before they are published, with the aim of ensuring high standards.

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The problem is that today’s peer review is a broken process. Too often, errors slip through, and they can go uncorrected for years. Even if they are eventually exposed, that’s often long after other researchers or clinical trials have relied upon them.

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This not only wastes taxpayers’ money (consider the fact that the National Institute of Health gave out $30 billion in research funding last year), but it rots the very foundation of scientific research, which builds on existing work. If today’s basic cancer research turns out to be mistaken, what does that mean for those enrolled in tomorrow’s clinical trial? This is not a hypothetical problem.

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The question is whether the peer review should be anonymous or not.Thoughts?Enjoy

If it is anonymous then the issue is the validity of the science not the person making the review -- isn't that what science is about?Note you must sign up to participate and you must have credentials to sign up, so it isn't just people off the street making comments.Enjoy