The Philosophical Basis of Peer Review and the Suppression of Innovation

TLDR

Peer review requires a clear fundamental purpose; assuming it is merely quality control is insufficient, as its role in biomedical science should align with medicine’s aims to cure, relieve, and comfort patients. Peer review must aim to facilitate the introduction into medicine of improved ways of curing, relieving, and comforting patients. Achieving this requires both quality control and encouragement of innovation. If the balance between quality control and innovation is lost, peer review will fail to fulfill its purpose. JAMA 1990;263:1438-1441.

Abstract

Peer review can be performed successfully only if those involved have a clear idea as to its fundamental purpose. Most authors of articles on the subject assume that the purpose of peer review is quality control. This is an inadequate answer. The fundamental purpose of peer review in the biomedical sciences must be consistent with that of medicine itself, to cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always. Peer review must therefore aim to facilitate the introduction into medicine of improved ways of curing, relieving, and comforting patients. The fulfillment of this aim requires both quality control and the encouragement of innovation. If an appropriate balance between the two is lost, then peer review will fail to fulfill its purpose. (<i>JAMA</i>. 1990;263:1438-1441)