From: Bill Cohen <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:32:38 -0400

Sandy's points are well taken.   How do you assess the value, as well as
trustworthiness, of the reviewers?

In the academic journal arena especially, much needs assessment is local.
What is invaluable for one institution is irrelevant for another.

 Bill

On 6/12/13 9:00 AM, LIBLICENSE wrote:
>
> From: Sandy Thatcher <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:08:21 -0500
>
> But if you are going to be making some decision based on such
> assessments--such as deciding whether to subscribe to or recommend a
> journal to one's clientele (or whether to promote or give tenure to a
> professor)--you need to have some basis for evaluating the
> trustworthiness of the assessors. This is entirely lacking in the case
> of student evaluators. Who is to say one student's opinion is more
> trustworthy than another's? It is often lacking in general comments in
> places like The Chronicle and InsideHigherEd also, not to mention
> blogs.  That is why the service performed by publications like the
> THES when it reviewed journals is so valuable.  Reviewers are chosen,
> like the reviewers for articles, on the basis of proven expertise in
> the subject area. One may choose to disagree with the assessment, but
> at least one knows that the opinion expressed is an informed opinion.
> Open reviews of journals would be as useful as book reviews on Amazon
> where one usually has no idea what qualifies the reviewer to express
> an opinion.  Even popular TV shows like "The Voice" or "Dancing with
> the Stars" have panels of experts who are passing judgments on the
> performances, even though winners are chosen in large part by majority
> vote.
>
> Sandy Thatcher