Peer review is a process used to evaluate research proposals and publications before funding or publication. It involves subject experts critically reviewing research to ensure quality. Peer review originated in 18th century scholarly societies and became institutionalized in the 20th century. It is applied to funding applications, research reports, conference presentations, and journal articles/monographs. While peer review helps improve research quality, it also faces criticism for potential bias, subjectivity, conservatism, and increasing burden on reviewers. Detecting misconduct is challenging as reviewers are also fallible.