>Devil's advocate: sometimes, knowing the author of a work really can allow a reviewer/reader to make a more accurate assessment of its value. >As an extreme e

>Devil's advocate: sometimes, knowing the author of a work really can allow a reviewer/reader to make a more accurate assessment of its value. >As an extreme example, if Stephen Hawking submits a paper that calls into question the speed of light as a universal constant, I'm much more likely to take it seriously I'm sure Mr. Hawking, being so skilled in his field, can appropriately cite related work and lay out what he sees as it's flaws without resorting to an appeal to authority. If you need such crutches to know when someone's paper is high quality, perhaps you are not fully invested in the reviewing process and should allow someone willing to take the time to fully evaluate all submitted works.