peer review
The process by which experts in a field evaluate a piece of research or academic work before it is published, to ensure its quality and validity.
readingwriting-task-2Science and research
IELTS use
Essential for discussing scientific research, academic publishing, and quality control in academic writing task 2 and reading passages.
Examples
- The journal only accepts articles that have undergone rigorous peer review by at least two specialists.
- Critics argue that the peer review system can be slow and biased against unconventional ideas.
- Reading passages about scientific breakthroughs often mention the peer review process to establish credibility.
Collocations
- peer review process
- The peer review process filters out flawed research before it reaches the public.
- undergo peer review
- All submitted manuscripts undergo peer review before publication.
- peer-reviewed journal
- It is essential to cite peer-reviewed journals in academic essays.
- rigorous peer review
- The study passed rigorous peer review, strengthening its conclusions.
Paraphrases
- expert evaluation: A simpler phrase useful for reading or when explaining the concept.
- scholarly scrutiny: More formal; suitable for writing task 2 essays.
- referee process: Alternative term sometimes used, especially in academic contexts.
Common mistakes
- The article was peer view to The article was peer reviewed. The correct past tense form is 'peer-reviewed' (hyphenated when used as an adjective).
- pair review to peer review. The word is 'peer' meaning equal, not 'pair' meaning two.
- peer review is done by editors to peer review is done by independent experts. Editors manage the process, but reviewers are external specialists.