Key ideas

• Before most psychological research is published in a scientific journal, other psychologists in the same area evaluate how it was conducted.
• Peer reviewers check whether the method was appropriate, the sample large and representative, the conclusions supported by evidence, and limitations acknowledged.
• Reviewers may require revisions or reject a paper, but they don't repeat the study themselves.
• Replication — repeating studies to see whether the same results appear again — increases confidence in the original findings.
• No single study provides all the answers; scientific knowledge is built over time through careful research, peer review, and successful replication.

Key terms

peer review

The process in which other psychologists in the same area evaluate a study before it is published.

replication

Repeating a study to see whether the same results are found again.

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