Hate the peer-review process? Einstein did too

摘要

Most academic papers today are published only after some academic peers have had a chance to review the merits and limitations of the work. This seems like a good idea, but there is a growing movement that wants to retort as Albert Einstein did to such a review process. Academic review process was different in Einstein's time. In his brilliant career, the only time his work was subjected to blind peer review - the authors don't know the reviewers and vice versa - he showed contempt for what is now the gold standard of science. Was Einstein right to be so suspicious of the peer-review process? Should we learn from him and begin to question the widespread use of peer review in academic science?