Final answer:
Peer review is the process by which experts evaluate a research article before it's published to ensure its originality, relevance, and quality. This often involves a double-blind review to maintain objectivity. The process enhances the integrity and validity of scientific literature.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process experts use to review and evaluate an author's work before publication is known as peer review. This formal procedure ensures that scientific research is checked for originality, significance, and quality before being accepted into scientific literature. The peer-reviewed journal article undergoes scrutiny by other scientists with expertise in the related subject matter, often without knowing the identity of the author to maintain objectivity (a process known as double-blind peer review). The reviewers assess the research's rationale, methodology, ethical considerations, study design, and the validity of the conclusions. The ultimate goal of peer review is to refine the work so that it contributes new and valuable information to the field, avoids unnecessary duplication of research, and is presented with the highest possible rigor and clarity. The final decision on whether the article will be published, and in what form, lies with the journal editor after compiling all feedback from the peer reviewers.