cc: Mike MacCracken <mmaccrac@comcast.net>, Martin Hoffert   <marty.hoffert@nyu.edu>, Karl Taylor <taylor13@llnl.gov>,Ken Caldiera   <kenc@llnl.gov>, Curt Covey <covey1@llnl.gov>, Stefan Rahmstorf   <rahmstorf@pik-potsdam.de>, "Michael E. Mann" <mann@virginia.edu>, Raymond   Bradley <rbradley@geo.umass.edu>, Malcolm Hughes   <mhughes@ltrr.arizona.edu>, Phil Jones <p.jones@uea.ac.uk>,Kevin Trenberth   <trenbert@ucar.edu>, Tom Crowley <tcrowley@duke.edu>, Scott Rutherford   <srutherford@gso.uri.edu>, Caspar Ammann <ammann@ucar.edu>,Keith Briffa   <k.briffa@uea.ac.uk>, Tim Osborn <t.osborn@uea.ac.uk>, Michael Oppenheimer   <omichael@princeton.edu>, Steve Schneider <shs@stanford.edu>,Gabi Hegerl   <hegerl@duke.edu>, Ellen Mosley-Thompson <thompson.4@osu.edu>, Eric Steig   <steig@ess.washington.edu>,jmahlman@ucar.edu, wuebbles@atmos.uiuc.edu,jto@u.arizona.edu,stocker@climate.unibe.ch, Urs Neu   <urs.neu@sanw.unibe.ch>,Jürg  Beer   <beer@hermes.emp-eaw.ch>
date: Wed, 20 Aug 2003 09:46:56 +0100
from: Phil Jones <p.jones@uea.ac.uk>
subject: Peer review and Royal Society
to: Tom Wigley <wigley@ucar.edu>,André  Berger <berger@astr.ucl.ac.be>

      Dear All,

          There was a large article in the English newspaper The Guardian yesterday which
    reminded me that the Royal Society here in the UK is conducting a review of how
    science is reported to the public and the peer-review process. Most of the impetus
    here seems to be about the GM crop debate. The article reminded me about an email
    that came in July about the initiative.
       I'll email Brian Hoskins a brief summary based on Andre's email and some of the other
    respondents.
    Cheers
    Phil

     The Royal Society is to launch a wide-ranging consultation among scientists, the media,
     and the public next month, into the best way to communicate the results of original
     research. In the spotlight will be an issue central to the practice of science-the peer
     review process.
     Under the chairmanship of Patrick Bateson, the society's biological secretary, a working
     group will produce guidance on best practice, to be published sometime in the fall. It
     will be sent to anyone receiving funding from the Royal Society and to the fellows, and
     it will be disseminated to the wider scientific community both within and outside
     industry. A separate brief is to be produced for the public.
     The reports will identify ways in which peer review can be improved to increase public
     confidence in research. They will also consider alternatives to peer review for
     assessing the quality of research results released to the public.
     Read the full article at [1]http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20030721/02
     [AOL: <a href="[2]http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20030721/02">Read it here</a>]

   Prof. Phil Jones
   Climatic Research Unit        Telephone +44 (0) 1603 592090
   School of Environmental Sciences    Fax +44 (0) 1603 507784
   University of East Anglia
   Norwich                          Email    p.jones@uea.ac.uk
   NR4 7TJ
   UK
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