Independent review
Encyclopedia
Independent review is the practice of having an expert, but independent evaluation of a set of results or artifacts produced by an author or organization. The practice appears in a large number of fields, including science
, engineering
, public policy
, finance
, medical practice
, etc. In science, the term is often used synonymously with peer review
. The term is sometimes used to contrast it with an "in-house review" performed by someone inside an organization.http://books.google.com/books?id=SmwXC0nU2pYC&pg=PA12099&dq=independent+in-house+review&hl=en&ei=fm7CTJiKGNGz4QamouW5Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=independent%20in-house%20review&f=false
s, there are generally submitted to peer review
first. Often this is done in confidence (see anonymous peer review).
Sometimes researchers will bypass the pre-publication review process (see "science by press conference
") or will refuse to share their data and methods with other scientists. In general, the scientific community
frowns on this, as it makes it difficult or even impossible for other scientists to verify the data and interpretations of the research (see data sharing
).
The British Medical Journal reported that, "Systematic bias favours products which are made by the company funding the research."
). By giving other scientists access to one's own data and methods (see data sharing
), and giving them an opportunity to gauge the reproducibility
of one's results, one ensures that errors due to incompetence, unconscious bias, or other causes can be found by others. It's the scientific version of proofreading
.
Another possible reason for bypassing traditional peer review is when reporting results which are radically at odds with mainstream scientific views.
.
The state of California
uses independent review to evaluate conservation
proposals and to ensure that the general public can understand scientific publications written in mind-numbingly foggy technical prose.
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
, finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, medical practice
Medical practice
A medical practice or practice of medicine is the practice of medicine, as performed by a medical practitioner—a physician...
, etc. In science, the term is often used synonymously with peer review
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
. The term is sometimes used to contrast it with an "in-house review" performed by someone inside an organization.http://books.google.com/books?id=SmwXC0nU2pYC&pg=PA12099&dq=independent+in-house+review&hl=en&ei=fm7CTJiKGNGz4QamouW5Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=independent%20in-house%20review&f=false
Academic publishing
When scientific papers are considered for publication in scientific journalScientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
s, there are generally submitted to peer review
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
first. Often this is done in confidence (see anonymous peer review).
Sometimes researchers will bypass the pre-publication review process (see "science by press conference
Science by press conference
The term science by press conference is a phrase referring to scientists who put an unusual focus on publicizing results of research in the media. The term is usually used disparagingly...
") or will refuse to share their data and methods with other scientists. In general, the scientific community
Scientific community
The scientific community consists of the total body of scientists, its relationships and interactions. It is normally divided into "sub-communities" each working on a particular field within science. Objectivity is expected to be achieved by the scientific method...
frowns on this, as it makes it difficult or even impossible for other scientists to verify the data and interpretations of the research (see data sharing
Data sharing
Data sharing is the practice of making data used for scholarly research available to other investigators. Replication has a long history in science...
).
Medical practice
An article in Physician's News Digest says that there's a need for independent review, because hospital peer review process is broken.Conflicts of interest
It is considered common knowledge that financial interests affect research results, and many people believe that funding can influence a scientist's findings. In the well known tobacco industry case, manufacturers funded studies seeming to prove that tobacco smoking was harmless. Scientists whose funding did not come from tobacco companies eventually proved a link between smoking and cancer.The British Medical Journal reported that, "Systematic bias favours products which are made by the company funding the research."
Science
Independent review of scientific results is the cornerstone of scientific accountability (see also peer reviewPeer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
). By giving other scientists access to one's own data and methods (see data sharing
Data sharing
Data sharing is the practice of making data used for scholarly research available to other investigators. Replication has a long history in science...
), and giving them an opportunity to gauge the reproducibility
Reproducibility
Reproducibility is the ability of an experiment or study to be accurately reproduced, or replicated, by someone else working independently...
of one's results, one ensures that errors due to incompetence, unconscious bias, or other causes can be found by others. It's the scientific version of proofreading
Proofreading
Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or computer monitor to detect and correct production-errors of text or art. Proofreaders are expected to be consistently accurate by default because they occupy the last stage of typographic production before publication.-Traditional method:A proof is...
.
Another possible reason for bypassing traditional peer review is when reporting results which are radically at odds with mainstream scientific views.
Government agencies in the USA
The Office of Research Integrity employs independent reviewers to guard against scientific misconductScientific misconduct
Scientific misconduct is the violation of the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behavior in professional scientific research. A Lancet review on Handling of Scientific Misconduct in Scandinavian countries provides the following sample definitions: *Danish definition: "Intention or...
.
The state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
uses independent review to evaluate conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
proposals and to ensure that the general public can understand scientific publications written in mind-numbingly foggy technical prose.
- ... California law, which requires independent scientific review at several stages of the conservation planning process, “so consultants working for counties or developers are not able to get away with using flawed scientific methodologies.” The published reports of such independent reviews can help the public navigate an otherwise impenetrable, seemingly arcane debate.
See also
- Independent medical reviewIndependent medical reviewIndependent medical review is the process where physicians review medical cases in order to provide claims determinations for health insurance payers, workers compensation insurance payers or disability insurance payers...
- Judicial reviewJudicial reviewJudicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority...
- United States Office of the Independent CounselUnited States Office of the Independent CounselUnited States Office of the Independent Counsel was an independent prosecutor — distinct from the Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice — that provided reports to the Congress under . The office was terminated in 1999 and replaced by the U.S...