Editorial

摘要

The issue of peer reviewing has been much debated in the news and social media of late. Critics complain that it inhibits free speech and promotes orthodoxy while proponents argue that it is an essential ingredient of high-quality research and a buffer against political interference. Much of the debate has stemmed from medical and environmental science, but anyone who has attended the Annual General Meeting of the Society for Nautical Research will testify that even in the humble world of maritime history the role of peer reviewing can become controversial.