One solution to the challenges posed by voluntary peer review (M. Arns Nature 515, 467 (2014) and see Nature 515, 480–482; 2014) might be to create a professional, independent body of reviewers that could be for hire by journals — rather like the professional referees used in football.
These reviewers could be funded by contributions from research councils, charities and end-users — namely, scientific journals and funding bodies.
Such a system could put an end to rigging scandals and to poor-quality, unprofessional or biased peer review, as well as improving the speed and consistency of the refereeing process. It could even offer stable employment for thousands of PhD graduates.
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Sala, A. What football can teach science. Nature 516, 329 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/516329e
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/516329e
