Generate oversight for the peer review system
What happens when two groups of qualified scientists disagree on fundamental scientific principles? What happens when research is rejected because it casts doubt upon the prior work of the peer reviewer? Who with authority is actively scanning the "fringe sciences" in an attempt to discover scientific talent that's been obstructed from publication because their new paradigm is too unconventional?
In the history of science, it's clear that many ideas that were once considered heretical are now common knowledge. Sometimes, these people are blocked from being published in peer review journals due to institutional or ethical issues. If we know that this is already happening based upon past experience, then doesn't it make sense to pro-actively search out instances so that we can speed up the process of scientific evolution?
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pln2bz commented
The problem is particularly big in the physics discipline as well, where there exists a turf battle between some plasma physicists and the general population of astrophysicists on the subject of how to model plasmas in space. How does a plasma physicist force an astrophysicist to reconsider their mathematical models and assumptions regarding the behavior of plasmas?
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nerdychaz commented
I work at a widely respected medical college, and I completely agree. The peer review system does limit innovation in all fields of scientific endeavor.