History 220-011 History of Space Exploration

Scholarly communication refers to the different ways in which authors and creators of scholarly and scientific works share information with each other and the rest of the world about the work they are doing. 

Remember academic scholars and researchers often disagree on theories and interpretations of evidence. Always try and identify different points of view.

Peer-reviewed journal articles are shorter than books. They are written about very specific topics - often with a very narrow focus on a single topic or issue.  One of the most valuable aspects of a peer-reviewed article is its works cited reference list at the end of the article.

A fundamental part of the 'Scholarly Communication' process is the publication of "peer-reviewed" Journal articles.

It is the process of subjecting an author's manuscript (article) to scrutiny by others who are considered to be experts in that particular subject field, before its publication. The process involves providing feedback to the author suggesting revisions, questions regarding the research methodology used by the author, clarification of information included in the article, and identifying additional information that should be incorporated into the article.

The role of the journal editor, editorial boards, and publishers is to manage and support this process.  Much of the heavy lifting is performed by unpaid academic scholars who act as editors, members of editorial boards, and referees (peers).

Ultimately to you, as a reader, the peer review's greatest value is found in the "central pillar of trust" that the process imparts to the article's trustworthiness - it provides a degree of certainty about the quality of the product.