Tuesday, 12 December 2017

publications - Is it fair that a PhD student should be allowed to review a research paper?


I really can't understand why an inexperienced PhD student should be allowed to review a research article written by researchers of considerably more experience and expertise.



How do journals/editors select referees for submissions?



Answer



Yes, it is fair.



  • The quality of reviews written by highly experienced researchers is low.

  • Many manuscripts have obvious flaws that should be spotted by the inexperienced.

  • Reviewers are (in theory) supervised by the editor.

  • Novice reviewers are more enthusiastic than experienced reviewers.

  • If the paper cannot be understood by a PhD student, it will not be useful to very many people.

  • PhD students may have more specialized expertise because they work on fewer projects, as compared to senior researchers (per @nayrb)



Of course, it depends on the individual PhD student. Some are better prepared to review than others.


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