PEER REVIEW FOR MATERIALS USED BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC, OR, DON’T LET LAWYERS NEAR YOUR LIGHTNING ROD

The peer review process is intended to assure that published materials meet the communities perception of quality standards for scientific work and its presentation. When the primary audience is the lay public, editors have an obligation to exercise an even higher level of care than may be the case where the audience is the scientific community, because the lay audience has less capability to evaluate the material. Special reports, or “white papers” intended for a varied audience are a type of publication that could be examined critically by not only scientists but also by members of the interested public, including (gasp!) Lawyers. Policies developed for these reports should be established and followed carefully so that the science is not dismissed, if challenged, on procedural grounds. In a specific case involving technical specifications for lightning protection devices, and AGU white paper came under legal challenge related to authenticity of authorship. Having and following policies and procedures thwarted efforts to remove the white paper from the public record. Authors and editors should be aware of the rights and responsibilities of the publisher when peer reviewed science is used outside of the scientific community.