Yasser_Elassal comments on Does blind review slow down science? - Less Wrong

20 Post author: Kaj_Sotala 06 March 2009 12:35PM

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Comment author: Yasser_Elassal 06 March 2009 04:42:57PM 2 points [-]

I don't understand your objection to anonymous review on the basis of accountability. Doesn't "anonymous review" in this context just mean that the reviewers don't know the authors and affiliations of the papers they're reviewing? In that case, what is there to be accountable for? The reviewers themselves aren't any more anonymous in "anonymous review" than in standard review, are they?

Comment author: Kaj_Sotala 06 March 2009 05:02:18PM 4 points [-]

Doesn't "anonymous review" in this context just mean that the reviewers don't know the authors and affiliations of the papers they're reviewing?

In this context, yes, that's the only thing it means.

Comment author: billswift 06 March 2009 05:50:33PM *  1 point [-]

Maybe I was wrong about that, but I also understood it to mean that the reviewer was also unknown to the author, even after the review. I have heard several stories (can't remember the sources; possibly only urban-scientific legends) of reviewers giving poor reviews of work that could have pre-empted things they were currently working on. And similar self-serving tactics.