Case Study

Explain how the editor must handle the identities of the prominent psychologist and the expert reviewers. Additionally, explain the fundamental purpose of utilizing this double-blind design instead of allowing the identities to be known.

Case context: An editor at a professional psychology journal receives a newly submitted manuscript from a very prominent and famous psychologist. The journal strictly adheres to a double-blind peer review process. The editor must now prepare the manuscript and send it to two expert reviewers in the same subfield for evaluation.

Question: Explain how the editor must handle the identities of the prominent psychologist and the expert reviewers. Additionally, explain the fundamental purpose of utilizing this double-blind design instead of allowing the identities to be known.

Sample answer: Under the double-blind peer review system, the editor must conceal the identity of the prominent psychologist from the reviewers, and likewise conceal the identities of the reviewers from the psychologist. The fundamental purpose of this design is to ensure that the research is evaluated objectively and meets the basic standards of the field before being published, preventing reviewers from being biased by the researcher's fame or fearing professional retaliation.

Key points:

  • The editor must conceal the researcher's identity from the reviewers.
  • The editor must conceal the reviewers' identities from the researcher.
  • The concealment ensures that the research is evaluated objectively against basic field standards.
  • Objective evaluation prevents bias from the researcher's prominent reputation.

Rubric: The response must explain that: 1. Both the researcher's and the reviewers' identities must be hidden from each other. 2. The purpose is to ensure objective evaluation against basic field standards. 3. Hiding identities prevents bias from the researcher's reputation and protects reviewers when providing critical feedback.

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Updated 2026-05-26

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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