Cover the eyes of Lady Justice.

Abstract

Blind Lady Justice, who dates back to the ancient Greek goddess Themis, has become the symbol for fair and equal justice. No matter how she is painted, drawn or otherwise depicted, her eyes are always covered so that she cannot be influenced by the person being judged and thus does not fall prey to prejudice or corruption. Indeed, the idea of a judicial system that is ‘blind’ to anything other than facts is an important pillar of democratic societies that aim for fair and equal justice for all their citizens. The scientific community is a society that should aim for the same high standards of justice to establish equal chances for everybody—at least in those aspects that concern the judgement of scientific contributions from individuals or research groups. In some ways, the publication system in science reflects the judiciary system in democracy, with the reviewers being the judges. Although they do not assess crimes against society, reviewers evaluate scientific achievements. Their verdicts are often important for the future lives and careers of the people being judged, so there is an evident need for a fair reviewing system. But the reality clearly does not match this demand, which puts an undue burden particularly on the younger and not yet established scientists who still need to build their reputation by publishing in high‐impact journals. It is therefore necessary to take a look at the shortcomings of the current system and to reconsider alternatives. In particular, I propose the establishment of a double‐blind reviewing system, in which the author of a publication and its reviewer are not aware of each other's identity. > In some ways, the publication system in science reflects the judiciary system in democracy, with the reviewers being the judges As discussed in detail in a recent commentary by Peter Lawrence …