Authors often describe peer review as something done to them. That framing is understandable and it is mostly the fault of publishers who treat reports as verdicts rather than as working documents.
Why we send reports in full
We give authors every referee report, unedited, including on manuscripts we decline. A summarised report protects the publisher and teaches the author nothing. The specific objection in paragraph four is usually the most useful sentence in the whole process.
What referees are actually asked
Our referees answer four questions: is the argument sound, is the evidence sufficient, who is the reader, and what would make this stronger. Only the first two are about gatekeeping. The last two are editorial and they are where the value sits.
Disagreeing with a referee
You are allowed to. Write the response, send it to your editor, and make the case. Roughly one in six revision plans changes materially after an author pushes back. That is the process working, not failing.
