Social influence and peer review

T here is a nearly unanimous perception among molecular and cell biologists that publishing has become the most discouraging and frustrating part of research. The trepidation level peaks at each stage of the process: the editorial stage where rejection without review has become the norm; the review stage where reviewers frequently do not fully understand the work or its implications; and the revision stage, when authors shoulder the disproportionate effort to revise the paper per reviewers’ demands. The problems with peer review are not limited to publishing though, and also affect funding or hiring decisions in academia each time a group of experts tries to predict the impact of a grant proposal or job applicant. ...................................................... “The problems with peer review are not limited to publishing though, and also affect funding or hiring decisions in academia. . .” ......................................................