Event Details

Prior to the mid-twentieth century, peer review was a form of research evaluation associated with a particular form of scholarly community: the learned society.

This paper draws upon my team’s research into the history of journal publishing at the Royal Society of London. It investigates the way that processes developed in a gentlemanly, socially-exclusive context were affected by the growth of scientific research, and the increased diversity of people participating in research, in the twentieth century.

Bio

Aileen Fyfe is a historian of science, technology and publishing. She is currently investigating the history of academic publishing from the seventeenth century to the present day, including the financial models underpinning scientific journals, their editorial and reviewing processes, and the role of learned society publishers. She is lead-author of the 2017 briefing paper Untangling Academic Publishing: a history of the relationship between commercial interests, academic prestige and the circulation of research. https://zenodo.org/record/546100

Refreshments available. There will be a chance to ask questions at the end of the presentation.

The seminar will be live-streamed and questions can be asked by email

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