In peer review, articles which authors want to publish in scientific journals are examined by researchers in the field on which the article is founded. Through the process, the author sends his article into the editor of a paper of his choice, this editor then decides wether to reject the article or send it out to the reviewers who will submit their recommendations back to the editor. On these recommendations, the editor then decides if he wants to accept the article, require further revision, or reject it outright.
These steps allow for interactive and constructive discourse between members of a specified scientific community that may otherwise never have had any contact. This system means that there is a level of accountability and accuracy in papers now which never could have existed before. With multiple individuals who are well familiarized with the field looking over each piece, rather than one editor who may or may not be an expert, the quality of the writing is likely to increase. Unfortunately, having so many individuals looking over a piece of writing in a single blind style makes it easy for disagreements and misunderstandings to butty an otherwise revolutionary discovery, which is why many have pressed for much more transparent peer review processes.
