Harley, D, & Krzys Acord, S. Peer Review in Academic Promotion and Publishing: Its Meaning, Locus, and Future. Center for Studies in Higher Education, Berkeley, 2011. 

The Center for Studies in Higher Education (CSHE) has published its newest publication, part of the Future of Scholarly Communication Project at the University of California at Berkeley. This publication draws attention to the current challenges of peer review, such as hybrid disciplines and increases in multiple authorships, and includes

• an overview of the state of peer review in the academy at large;
• a set of recommendations for moving forward;
• a proposed research agenda to examine in depth the effects of academic status-seeking on the entire academic enterprise; and
• four substantial and broadly conceived background papers on CSHE-researched topics, with associated literature reviews.

In addition, the report suggests that the creation of a wider range of institutionally acceptable and cost-effective alternatives to peer reviewing and publishing scholarly work could maintain the quality of academic peer review, support greater research productivity, reduce the explosive growth of low-quality publications, increase the purchasing power of cash-strapped libraries, better support the free flow and preservation of ideas and relieve the burden on overtaxed faculty of conducting too much peer review.

Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley