Challenges to open peer review

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess what the challenges to open peer review (OPR) are, relative to traditional peer review (TPR). Design/methodology/approach: By examining select issues within peer review, more broadly, and challenges within TPR, the effectiveness of OPR is questioned. Findings: Although OPR brings an aspect of transparency, by partially eliminating biases, fear of reprisals and of professional blow-back, either by authors who may be criticized or by competitors, limits the expansion of this peer review model, or its adoption as an industry-wide standard. Originality/value: Open Science 2.0 boasts of greater openness and transparency and OPR is touted as one tool to achieve this. However, that potential is limited. This limitation needs to be recognized.