Zeitschrift für medizinische Diagnosemethoden
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One Referee Constitutes a Poor Method of Assisting the Editor to Assess Epidemiologic Research: Should three not be the Standard?

Onuigbo WIB

Epidemiology has been defined as a branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population. Introduced into the English language about the year 1860, the author has from the early 1970s been involved in research on it with special reference to the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria, West Africa. Despite my wide experience, a paper on Wilms tumor in Igbo children was rejected by the Editor of International Journal of Cancer and Clinical Research on the opinion of one referee who stated that “There are many different tribes in Nigeria,” adding therefore that “A better paper would survey the entire country, comparing different groups and areas.” Accordingly, this referee’s opinion is falsified on several grounds, including the fact that 36 editors had between 1974 and 1978 accepted such papers of mine. Indeed, the paper has since been accepted by the Editor of “Archives in Cancer Research.” Accordingly, it is hypothesized that at least three referees should be a standard practice in evaluating not only epidemiologic but also other scientific communications worldwide.