ENVIRONMENTAL BALANCE | PEER REVIEW

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Environmental Impacts Solid Waste Management Wastewater Management Air Pollution Regulatory Factors Energy Factors Farming Environmental Management US EPA Dioxin Reassessment Dioxin Measurement Units Baghouses vs Precipitators NIMBY Peer Review Desidarata Deteriorata	Peer Review by John W. Norton, P.E., D.E.E. When studies are done they gain credibility by having "Peer Review". This means simply that the study results have been review by the author's peers, those with interest in the study subject and experience with which to evaluate the findings. In the peer review process, the study results are usually presented in the form of a professional paper at a meeting (a professional conference of some sort) where people interested in the subject area are encouraged to question and comment on the findings and techniques used to make the conclusions published in the paper. The author is supposed to answer the questions and comments. This obviously strengthens the paper, although, as an author, I can tell you that the process is quite intimidating. The professional conference managers encourage such review and comment. The managers may have arranged before the meeting to have peers on hand when the paper is presented for live questioning. Or they may even have had the paper reviewed before the meeting so that questions with more depth can be presented to the author at the presentation of the paper. Not all peer review comments are negative, often the peer reviewer may state that the author and the paper have accurately presented a topic and that the author's methods and results appear to be correct. All of the peer reviewer's comments and the author's answers are published with the papers, usually in a conference volume know as the "Supplemental Proceedings." Most professional conferences include the cost of the Supplemental Proceedings and their mailing in the price for the conference. Conversely, when a conference presents papers without peer review, they invite "advertising claim" type papers. Those who later read the papers do not have the benefit of the input from others in the field that have provided their input. The credibility cannot (should not) be so strong with papers that have not been tempered by peer review.

Disclaimer:
The author's intent is offering the best environmental balance advice available; the user is free to use it, although no guarantee can be implied. All user circumstances are unique and require individual analysis.

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