ABSTRACT
It also made it possible for the responsible persons, administrators, bureaucrats, and editors to say with comfort and authority that their decisions were based on the best available scientific opinion. They were simply reflecting the will of the relevant scientific community. Their decisions were scientific. They were based on reason, not politics. In science, three agencies are responsible for these evaluations. First and foremost, there are the scientific committees that review research proposals. They are usually constituted by bureaucrats in Washington, DC and are comprised of scientists from universities and other research institutions around the country and the world. Next, there are the scientific journals, with their reviewers and editorial boards. They are responsible for determining what is and what is not worthy of being published. And finally, there is the university with its administrators assigning precious laboratory space and resources, and its faculty committees evaluating personnel for promotion.
