science value is often measured by the citation rate and generally articles in first rate journals are cited more than those in second rate journals.
Theoretically, articles in both are reliable. The vetting process for Cell is more difficult leading to a low acceptance rate. However, both have articles reviewed by 2 experts in the field so articles with major flaws will be excluded.
When the Editor in Chief of the Lancet and the Editor in Chief of the NEJM are quoted saying the following, it's food for thought:-
Dr. Horton recently published a statement declaring that a lot of published research is in fact unreliable at best, if not completely false.
“The case against science is straightforward: much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue. Afflicted by studies with small sample sizes, tiny effects, invalid exploratory analyses, and flagrant conflicts of interest, together with an obsession for pursuing fashionable trends of dubious importance, science has taken a turn towards darkness.” (source)
This is quite disturbing, given the fact that all of these studies (which are industry sponsored) are used to develop drugs/vaccines to supposedly help people, train medical staff, educate medical students and more.
It’s common for many to dismiss a lot of great work by experts and researchers at various institutions around the globe which isn’t “peer-reviewed” and doesn’t appear in a “credible” medical journal, but as we can see, “peer-reviewed” doesn’t really mean much anymore. “Credible” medical journals continue to lose their tenability in the eyes of experts and employees of the journals themselves, like Dr. Horton.
He also went on to call himself out in a sense, stating that journal editors aid and abet the worst behaviours, that the amount of bad research is alarming, that data is sculpted to fit a preferred theory. He goes on to observe that important confirmations are often rejected and little is done to correct bad practices. What’s worse, much of what goes on could even be considered borderline misconduct.
Dr. Marcia Angell, a physician and longtime Editor in Chief of the New England Medical Journal (NEMJ), which is considered to another one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals in the world, makes her view of the subject quite plain:
“It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of the New England Journal of Medicine” (source)
Beg to differ on your analogy. Which is akin to deception by sensationalism. First this new story will and has appeared in the rank and file Cells publication. Where it belongs IF and When it is further validated it will appear in top tier CELL. As well as mainstream media. In this case CELLS actually got the scoop on CELL. Comparisons of high school to pro baseball is luducris to a libelous degree. CELLS is a Pofessional Journal not at secondary education level. One might be amazed how thin the veil of supposed anonymity on a public forum is. How daring are you?