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Ancient texts to PubMed: a brief history of the peer-review process

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Abstract

The formal evaluation of scientific literature by invited referees (peer reviewers) is a relatively recent phenomenon and now is considered a cornerstone of modern science. However, its roots can be traced back to antiquity. As the speed and complexity of scientific information and publishing increases in the digital age, peer review must continue to evolve. To understand the future direction of peer review, we must understand its past. Here, we briefly explore the history of scientific peer review. This may help us predict and design appropriate peer review for the new era. This work was originally presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland in the Spring of 2016.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the efforts of Esther Sarino, our clinical librarian, and Pravash Mukherjee, for their editorial guidance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA

    P R Farrell

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Children’s National Health System, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA

    L Magida Farrell

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    M K Farrell

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  1. P R Farrell
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  2. L Magida Farrell
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  3. M K Farrell
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Correspondence to P R Farrell.

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Farrell, P., Magida Farrell, L. & Farrell, M. Ancient texts to PubMed: a brief history of the peer-review process. J Perinatol 37, 13–15 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2016.209

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