Monday, February 4, 2008
Integrity of Scientific Peer Review in Question
Here's a very pertinent article from the New York Times on January 31, 2008 regarding the leakage of scientific information by a peer reviewer to a drug company that he used to work for. This relates back to today's class discussion - peer reviewers aren't paid, there is no way to assure that peer reviewers will do a good job reviewing articles or even remain honest when it comes to other scientists' work. I found this article troubling and discouraging. Also, the information that was up for review eventually appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, a reputable scientific journal. I guess no journal is immune from the inherent problems of the scientific peer review process.
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I don't know. For some reason, I do not feel as if this doctor meant harm in writing that letter, or at least this article does not make that point clear. It seems as if the intention was mearly to discuss the methodology/findings of the study and ask the company's experts' opinions. Yes, he was wrong in wrtiting the letter since it is against ethical principles and the rules set forth by the New England Journal of Medicine, but I don't think it was malicious. And yes, he should be punished, but the severity of the punishment alluded to in the article does not seem to fit the crime.
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