Peer Reviewed Literature

Definition: Peer reviewed scientific papers are papers published after they have been reviewed by other scientists, knowledgeable in the field of inquiry, to determine whether the studies they describe are of reasonable quality and the conclusions reported are supported by the evidence. Reputable scientific journals use a process of peer review before accepting a paper for publication.

Although peer reviewed papers may turn out to be flawed, or may have conflicting results, they contribute to the formation of a body of reputable evidence on a topic. The process of peer review is designed to, hopefully, ensure a minimum level of quality in the papers that get published.

Many snake-oil, or scam, disease cures make outlandish claims without data to support them. It is important to remember that anyone can make up statistics on a website, post false testimonials, or even publish a book that says anything they want it to. It is generally not the best idea to give a lot of weight to medical claims that are published without peer review or some other established fact-checking process.

The peer review process is not perfect, and bad or even fraudulent research has occasionally made it into print. However, using peer-reviewed papers to check medical claims is a good first line of defense against drug peddling con artists whose only concern is your pocketbook... not your health.