ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with social control, peer group review, which is a set of formally defined structures and processes that various governmental and individual biomedical research organizations have stipulated as necessary for producing normatively desirable social performance with regard to the use of human subjects by their grantees or members. It presents a brief history of the evolution of peer group review structures and processes, together with a description of their present operation based on data from our National Survey. The chapter proceeds to an evaluation of the efficacy of the new arrangements. It discusses the brief history of the development of formal peer group review of biomedical research on human subjects and a short account of its present legal and administrative status. The chapter describes the structure of peer group review. It presents reviewing all the evidence about the efficacy of peer review committees.
