This article examines the rise of peer review in scientific publishing and argues that the system has failed to deliver on its promise of making science more reliable. Although peer review became widespread after World War II as research funding and the volume of scientific papers exploded, studies suggest reviewers often miss major errors, fraudulent data, and unsupported conclusions. The process also consumes enormous amounts of researchers’ time while doing little to improve replication or scientific productivity.

The article argues that peer review may actually create new problems by encouraging researchers to conform to prevailing ideas, burying unconventional findings, and giving published research an undeserved “stamp of approval.” Instead of treating science as a system that needs to eliminate every bad idea before publication, the author argues that science works better when ideas are openly exposed to criticism, replication, and competition. He ultimately calls for a more open model built around accessible writing, transparent data and methods, and allowing ideas to be tested rather than filtered by a small group of reviewers.

https://www.experimental-history.com/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-peer-review