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When peers are not peers and don't know it: The Dunning‐Kruger effect and self‐fulfilling prophecy in peer‐review
Author(s) -
Huang Sui
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.201200182
Subject(s) - ignorance , subconscious , objectivity (philosophy) , psychology , epistemology , social psychology , philosophy , psychoanalysis , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
The fateful combination of (i) the Dunning‐Kruger effect (ignorance of one's own ignorance) with (ii) the nonlinear dynamics of the echo‐chamber between reviewers and editors fuels a self‐reinforcing collective delusion system that sometimes spirals uncontrollably away from objectivity and truth. Escape from this subconscious meta‐ignorance is a formidable challenge but if achieved will help correct a central deficit of the peer‐review process that stifles innovation and paradigm shifts.