Peer review process

    What does a peer review process look like? When does an assessment require peer review? Who should perform the peer review? The peer review process for journal publication is essentially a quality control mechanism. It is a process by which experts evaluate scholarly works, and its objective is to ensure a high quality of published science. However, peer reviewers do not make the decision to accept or reject papers. At most, they recommend a decision. At peer-reviewed journals, decision-making authority rests solely with journal editors or the journal’s editorial board. Indeed, it is the journal editor who is considered to be central to the decision making process. Typically, after a paper is submitted to a journal, a journal editor screens the manuscript and decides whether or not to send it for full peer review.