General Information/Peer Review
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is committed to applying rigorous scientific standards to ensure the accuracy and reliability of research results. For scientific and technical documents, the scientific community recognizes peer review as the primary means of quality control. NIH routinely seeks the input of highly qualified peer reviewers on the propriety, accuracy, completeness, and quality (including objectivity, utility, and integrity) of its materials.
Although the specific application of peer review throughout the scientific process may vary, the overall goal is to obtain an objective evaluation of scientific information from fellow scientists. To encourage the use of peer review of official Government scientific information disseminated by a Federal agency, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued guidelines creating standards for peer review. The OMB Bulletin for Peer Review are part of a broader effort under the 2001 Information Quality Act (Public Law No. 106-554, Section 515[a]), PDF version 
, to ensure the quality of all information disseminated by Federal agencies.
Relevant Peer Review Documents
- OMB Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review (January 14, 2005)
- NIH Peer Review Agenda
- HHS Peer Review Agenda
- Technical Assistance Materials (NIH staff access only)
Information Quality Guidelines
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed information quality guidelines in order to maintain the high quality of the information it provides to the public. These guidelines include administrative mechanisms for affected parties to seek corrections to noncompliant information provided by the agency. Since the influence and implications of disseminated information cannot always be fully anticipated, all NIH scientific reports are expected to state clearly and specifically how the results are generated-data used, various assumptions, analytic methods, statistical procedures, sources of error-so that the original analysis is sufficiently transparent.
Relevant Guideline Documents
- Frequently Asked Questions (Includes information on how to submit a request for correction)
- NIH Information Quality Contact
- NIH Information Quality Guidelines
- HHS Information Quality Guidelines
- OMB Information Quality Guidelines (February 22, 2002)
- Review Requests for Correction
- 1183: NIH Publications and Audiovisuals: Preparation, Review, Approval and Distribution (February 27, 2002)
- 1184: Scientific and Professional Information Presented by NIH Employees: Review, Approval, and Distribution (February 27, 2002)
If NIH denies a request for correction, the requestor may send within 30 days of receipt of the agency's decision a written request for reconsideration. The request should state the reasons for the appeal and may be sent as hard copy or electronically to InfoQuality@od.nih.gov. Requestors should reference the NIH tracking number provided in the NIH response to the original request. If sent by hard copy, requestors should also clearly mark the appeal and the outside envelope with "Information Quality Appeal," and send the appeal to the following address:
Elizabeth M. Dean
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health
Building 1, Room 218
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20892
Note: PDF documents require the free Adobe Reader.
