Peer Review in the Classroom

Abstract

Peer review or peer assessment is a process of evaluating work performance and products by peers. It is a vital part of professional life. For example, peer review is routinely used in two important phases of a research project: proposal evaluation and product assessment. Grant proposals are peer reviewed to ensure the quality, originality, and feasibility of the proposed work (Cole et al. 1982, Gaugler and Freckman 1990, Swift 1998). Research products such as papers for scientific journals are usually peer reviewed as well to enhance the quality of the journals, to maintain the integrity of the authors' work, and to provide accurate information for the scientific community (Waser et al. 1992, Bloom 1999). Despite the importance of peer review in scientific research (Cole et al. 1977, Kostoff 1997), few students receive formal training in reviewing proposals or manuscripts. Although some graduate students are exposed to the peer review process informally through their major professors, many graduate students and the vast majority of undergraduate students never have such experiences.