The Peer Review Process: Expectations and Responsibilities

This chapter focuses on the process of peer review and its legal implications relating to the final product of a forensic anthropological case examination: the forensic anthropology case report. It provides the recommendations that address the selection of peer reviewers, and the expectations on the part of both reviewer and reviewee. The chapter also provides the recommendations that address how to mitigate the problems of bias within the peer review system, and the mechanics of how to document the process and results of such reviews. Peer review in the academic setting has a history dating back to the mid-1700s when a group of scholars formed a commission to vet manuscripts submitted to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Peer review can be time consuming and difficult; therefore, accepting the responsibility of peer review requires commitment on the part of the reviewer.