Question regarding papers under review
Many review processes are single-blind rather than double-blind (that is often the reviewer knows the identity of the authors but the authors don't know the identity of the reviewer). 

One of the arguments in favor of single-blind review is precisely the one you outline: its almost impossible to hide the identity of authors, particularly if the field isn't so large, even if the names in the author list are blanked out (and how can you review a paper properly if you can see the references).

Single vs Double blind review is a topic of some controversy, with much written about the pros and cons of each. But I think its fairly clear that there is no good solution to the problem you outline.