Journal Peer Review: an Endorsement in Principle

Abstract

A first study by the authors found that publications in refereed (i.e., peer‐reviewed) serials were viewed as significantly more important in tenure and promotion decisions than publications in non‐refereed serials. Neither the title of the respondent (i.e., dean, chairman, co‐ordinator, director, or head) nor graduate designation (i.e., Master's degree‐granting versus doctoral degree‐granting institutions) affected the results. A further split by geographical regions (western versus central versus eastern Canada), by institutional designation within regions, and by holders of Canadian versus foreign doctorates did not significantly alter the original findings. Thus peer‐reviewed publications continue to have higher ratings than other publications in tenure and promotion decisions. Possible reasons for these findings are presented along with implications for future research.