Peer Review

Research

Evaluation of a manuscript by independent experts before publication, checking soundness, originality, and significance.

Sources

1. ICMJE Recommendations — Responsibilities in the Submission and Peer-Review Process icmje.org accessed 22 September 2026

The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors defines it plainly: “Peer review is the critical assessment of manuscripts submitted to journals by experts who are usually not part of the editorial staff.” Its recommendations then set out what a reviewer owes. Confidentiality: “Reviewers therefore should keep manuscripts and the information they contain strictly confidential.” And conflicts: reviewers “should declare their relationships and activities that might bias their evaluation of a manuscript and recuse themselves from the peer-review process if a conflict exists.” ICMJE writes for medical journals, but these duties are the ones most disciplines have adopted.

This entry is sourced to a body with standing over the practice it names, which is tier 1 of this lexicon’s rule for research terms. Where a definition is quoted, it is the body’s own wording; the reading of what it implies is this lexicon’s.

Related terms

• Abbreviation
• Abstract
• Abstraction
• Academic Database
• Analysis
• Annotation

From the AJG lexicon archive (July 2026).