A Reliability-Generalization Study of Journal Peer Reviews: A Multilevel Meta-Analysis of Inter-Rater Reliability and Its Determinants
PLoS ONEPublished 14 December 2010Open access
Lutz Bornmann, Rüdiger Mutz, Hans‐Dieter Daniel
Citations221
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score0.80
SNIP1.07
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TL;DR
According to the first meta-analysis for the inter-rater reliability (IRR) of journal peer reviews, the IRR of peer assessments is quite limited and needs improvement (e.g., reader system).
Abstract
Studies that report a high level of IRR are to be considered less credible than those with a low level of IRR. According to our meta-analysis the IRR of peer assessments is quite limited and needs improvement (e.g., reader system).
Keywords
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