Q: What is a peer-reviewed article and how do I find one?

What is a peer-reviewed article?

Your professor may require you to use peer-reviewed sources for your paper or research project. What does that mean, exactly? A peer-reviewed article is an article that has been published in a scholarly journal after being reviewed by professional experts in the author's field (i.e. their peers) before it was published. This means that the reviewers examined the author's research methods, their cited sources, the contribution this article has to the field, and the author's other published works to determine the article's credibility. A peer-reviewed article, by its very nature, is one that experts in the field have approved and that is therefore an appropriate source of information to be used in your scholarly research.

 

How can you tell if an article is peer-reviewed?

The good news is that most databases make it easy to limit your searches to peer-reviewed articles. You can start your research from our databases via the A-Z Database List. If a database offers this option, you will usually see it near the search box or the Advanced Search screen.

Here are a couple of examples:

In ProQuest databases, you will find the option directly below the search boxes.

In EBSCO databases, you will find it a little further down under the search boxes.

 

Checking these boxes before you do a database search will ensure you ONLY see articles that are known to be peer-reviewed in your results. Checking Full Text also ensures you will get results that show the full text of an article.

Some databases like PsycArticles and PsycInfo only search peer-reviewed journals, and you may not see a checkbox.

 

If you aren't sure if an article is peer-reviewed, how can you find out?

You may find an article outside of our databases and wonder how you can tell if it's peer-reviewed. For example, you may find a full text article on Google Scholar that is from a website you're unsure about. Here are some things to look for that peer-reviewed articles often have.

Formal Tone These articles are written for scholars and professionals, and they may sound very formal. They may use technical or scientific terms or words you don't understand.
Length Scholarly research will often be many pages long and cite specific research findings. It won't be summarized or concise.
Cited Sources Authors of peer-reviewed articles will cite their sources throughout the paper (often with footnotes and provide a references, works cited, or bibliography section at the end of the article.
Data You will often see lots of data to prove the author's research in the form of tables, charts, or graphs. These will often be labeled (figure 1, figure 2, etc.) and referred to throughout the text.
Author's Credentials The author's name, credentials (their educational background, professional credentials, or research history), and contact information is given. You will get the sense they have extensive background in the field they are writing about - they may even be an expert.
Guidelines for Publication The article will be published in a journal that has a strict publication and peer-review process. If not included with the article, you can find this information on the journal's website. Reputable journals will describe this information in great detail.


Need more assistance?

If you still find yourself confused about finding and using peer-reviewed sources, chat with a librarian or schedule an online meeting with us




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