Is it Peer Reviewed?

Sense about Science, an organization dedicated to increasing the public’s scientific understanding, has developed a short guide to peer review available as a free pdf. The process of peer review is essential to ensuring the soundness of scientific research, but much of the general public is unaware of it.

The guide, titled "I don't know what to believe...," outlines how peer review is handled, why it is important, how to tell if an article has been reviewed and answers a few common questions people have about peer review. It encourages people to consider the sources behind claims of “wonder cures” and “phenomenal dangers” so prevalent in the media. “I don’t know what to believe…” gives the public the ability to scrutinize these claims and avoid the false hope and unnecessary anxiety created by less reputable reports.

A hard copy version of the guide can be requested here.