Nolo's Plain-English Law Dictionary

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Peer Review: An evaluation of someone's work by a group of people in the same profession or field. A peer-reviewed or "refereed" journal, for example, publishes submissions that have been read and selected by an editorial board of experts in the field. Hospitals, schools, and other institutions often have peer-review boards or committees who evaluate the work of their colleagues, sometimes in response to allegations of poor performance or malpractice.