peer review

American

noun

evaluation of a person's work or performance by a group of people in the same occupation, profession, or industry.

peer review British

noun

the evaluation by fellow specialists of research that someone has done in order to assess its suitability for publication or further development

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

peer-reviewed

adjective

Etymology

Origin of peer review

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When peer review slows or weakens, science doesn’t just become slower.

From Slate • May 3, 2026

During peer review, one referee made an especially notable observation, Salama recalls.

From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026

Even the selection of Ms. Wentz and Mr. Horton as chapter authors should have raised questions about neutrality in a peer review.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

During the pandemic, when doctors and medical experts needed to get info out to the public quickly, the peer review process was regularly eschewed and studies were hosted on preprint servers.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

Privately held knowledge is not really scientific knowledge at all because it has not survived the test of peer review.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023