There are many scientific articles out there that are peer-reviewed, but what does this mean? According to Merriam-webster, a peer review is a process by which something proposed (as for research or publication) is evaluated by a group of experts in the appropriate field. In other words, experts are creating an article, with their own hypothesis, based on multiple research experiments. Below are the pros and cons of such a process.
Pros
- New hypothesis
- More evidence (both specific and general)
- Provided feedback/ own opinions on topic
- Allows writer to choose the most important sources for their statement
Cons
- Invalid arguments
- Variable interpretation of sources
- Can be done by anyone
- Non-credible sources
Conclusion
There is no doubt peer-reviewed articles can become a strong source of information, however it can also create lots of confusion. The main issue with these type of articles is that the author(s) may interpret their sources differently than another group might. In addition to this, authors can pick and choose which articles they seem best fit to provide support for their statements. This can bend the truth to make other things seem true or false, and wether this is an advantage or disadvantage is up to you.
