How Cold War pressures transformed peer review into a standard for scientific legitimacy
In short: A historical analysis of scientific gatekeeping shows that peer review was not always the central pillar of science it is today. Throughout the nineteenth and much of the twentieth century, external referee reports for journals and grants were often considered optional rather than essential.
The study traces how, during the 1970s in the Cold War United States, scientists faced increasing pressure to be accountable to their funders. To protect their influence over funding decisions, researchers championed expert refereeing as the primary way to ensure scientific credibility.
By framing peer review as a necessity for legitimacy, scientists helped establish the modern belief that only peer-reviewed work is scientifically valid. This historical analysis focuses on the American context, so the findings may not apply to other nations or eras.
Why it matters: The modern expectation of peer review as a hallmark of truth was shaped by historical struggles over scientific funding and autonomy.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Research: Baldwin (2018). Scientific Autonomy, Public Accountability, and the Rise of “Peer Review” in the Cold War United States. Isis.
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