Peer Review of Interdisciplinary Research Proposals

Abstract

The peer review of research results submitted for journal publication raises elementary issues of fairness and reliability.' Peer review of proposals to perform research in the future, however, is even more problematic. For many reasons, judging untested ideas is inherently more uncertain than evaluating completed work. Research has a way of evolving in directions that are unchartable in advance-certain data may prove unattainable, new discoveries by the researchers or by others may point to reorientation, or personnel may change. In a 1974 study, Grace Carter found that ratings of National Institutes of Health (NIH) initial grant applications were correlated with independent ratings of their later reapplications by a thin 0.4 (i.e., only 16% of the variance was accounted for by the other rating).2 While this figure includes unreliability due to an independent rerating, it also reflects changes in the perception of the value of specific projects as research progresses. One National Science Foundation (NSF) proposal reviewer made special note of exemplary staffing plans of a proposal he evaluated.3 Ironically, that same project changed staff repeatedly to the extent that it was not possible even to identify a project leader. In essence, then, peer review of proposals is a difficult business. Peer review as a process has engendered strong