Peer Review Education Resource

The internet makes it very difficult, teachers have told us, to assess the information sources that pupils use. With the debates about creationism and predictions about the CERN super-collider precipitating the end of the world via a black hole there is a growing need to help students navigate what is and isn’t scientific in a real-world setting. Sense About Science has launched an online education resource that provides insights into what scientific knowledge is, how it is acquired and the questions to ask of scientific information in the public domain. Whatever reservations have been raised since the launch of the new science curriculum, for the first time there is a space to explore how science works, what’s special about scientific information versus other information and how knowledge is generated. In the resource, leading journal editors Philip Campbell (Nature) and Andrew Sugden (Science) talk directly about peer review, the system used to decide which research is published in a scientific journal bringing it into the scientific record, sharing their every day experiences. Scientists, both as referees and researchers, give their views on peer review and there is also discussion about controversies in science - with over 1 million research papers published annually, can quality be controlled? Can fraud, like the Korean cloning scandal, be avoided? Ellen Raphael, Head of Programmes at Sense About Science said “The new science curriculum received a critical reception when launched but by providing time for discussion about what science is, a unique opportunity arises to show how scientific knowledge is developed, which is essential for all pupils not just those pursuing university level science education.” Frank Swain, Communications Officer at Sense About Science said “Being able to critically weigh up claims about science and health and hunt down the evidence behind them is a valuable life skill, which will help them both as pupils and as the public of the future.”

Coverage

Back to school for peer-review - The Endocrinologist

Comments on the resource:

Professor Derek Bell, Chief Executive The Association for Science Education: “These resources on peer review are a timely addition for teachers working to develop young people’s understanding of how science works. Peer review is a cornerstone of the way in which scientific knowledge progresses. By introducing peer review into schools, these unique materials provide a real opportunity for young people to understand the difference between ‘good science’ and ‘bad science’ as well as to develop their own skills of analysis, interpretation and communication.” Jenifer Burden, Co-director Twenty First Century Science: “Scientific claims are regularly reported in the media. It is often difficult for those of us outside a particular scientific field to assess such claims. An understanding of the peer review process provides an important criterion to look for - are claims based on evidence that has survived the critical scrutiny of the relevant scientific community? The Peer Review Education Resource project provides teachers with tools to develop students’ knowledge of how the scientific community works.” Wendy Sadler, Director Science Made Simple: “As students at secondary school are increasingly involved in learning how science works, this is a great resource to get them thinking about how accurate the science stories they see on TV and in newspapers really are. The activities are really hands-on and generate a lot of debate and discussion.” Ramla Ali, secondary school science teacher: “Science is often misrepresented in the media. As a teacher, I am often asked about current issues my students hear about through the media. After asking students to probe further, they are able to unravel information and draw conclusions for themselves. These students are the adults of tomorrow and they need to be able to judge information using valid evidence. The Sense About Science Peer Review resource enables teachers to do this.” Terry O’Dea, Secondary School Consultant, Bexley Council: “These resources are simple and easy to use, clear and very much reinforce the given learning objectives. The selected articles are also of a good quality which enable students to read about science in interesting and relevant contexts. They are also a useful resource to use as a stimulus for small group dialogic activities to engage students in deeper and more meaningful discussions about scientific issues in lesson time.” Seema Salil, biology teacher and Middle School Coordinator for Oberoi international school: “There are lots of myths that people have about various aspects of science in our day to day life and a resource that addresses some of them as well as tries to satisfy the common man’s curiosity about scientific concepts is much needed today. Also, I felt the peer review aspect is something that children should be aware of in case they wish to pursue any sort of university level work” Ylann Schemm, Corporate Relations Manager at Elsevier: “We commend Sense About Science in their work to demystify peer review. Understanding peer review translates into a healthy appreciation of sound science. By bringing peer-reviewed science publishing into British schools, Sense About Science has set a precedent for secondary education throughout the world.”

Further information: what’s in the resource?

The lesson plans cover a range of abilities from Key Stage 4 pupils up to A-level. These include:

Roleplay: an exercise where pupils play the different roles of researcher, editor and reviewer, experiencing the different stages that a piece of research must pass through in order to be published.
Science in the media: a look at how science stories are reported in the news using real-life examples such as mobile phones and cancer, cloning, and the HPV vaccine. Students are encouraged to question the nature of the research behind the story, identify who carried it out and most importantly, ask whether it has been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The Process and its Challenges: intended for advanced students, this exercise looks at the limitations of peer review. Students learn about real-life cases such as the scandal surrounding Korean cloning expert Hwang Woo-suk, and learn what role peer review has to play in these events.

The resource fits into the curriculum requirement (introduced in 2006) that secondary school children must be taught “how uncertainties in scientific knowledge and scientific ideas change over time and the role of the scientific community in validating these changes.” As part of the new STEM Directories project, details of the resource will be distributed to schools throughout the country The resource has been created with the kind support of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Elsevier.

Last updated: October 09 2008