What Is a Peer Reviewed Article in a Peer Reviewed Journal?
You might be asked to find peer-reviewed articles in peer-reviewed journals for your assignments. A peer-reviewed article is authored by experts and reviewed by other experts who examine quality, utility, and timeliness. The peer-reviewed article will be published only if it passes this peer-review process. The peers who evaluate articles before they can be published are called referees; sometimes you will hear the phrase refereed journal rather than peer-reviewed journal. See the library's guide on determining if something is peer review for more information.
Finding Peer-Reviewed Articles From a Peer Reviewed Journal
Go here to view Do-It-Yourself online help on suggestions on where to find peer-reviewed articles from a peer-reviewed journal.
NOTE: Even though a particular journal is peer-reviewed, some articles, such as news items, editorials, letters to the editor, and book reviews, may not have gone through the peer-review process. Read the abstract or look at the full text article to determine whether or not it contains key components of research articles.
How to Know If a Journal is Peer Reviewed
Want to know if a journal is peer-reviewed? Look it up in Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory:
Once in Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory:
1. In the search box, key in the exact title of the journal title.
2. View results. If there is a black and white refereed t-shirt icon next to the appropriate journal title, it is a peer reviewed, or refereed journal.
3. Go back to the abstract of the other database and evaluate the abstract or read the full text article to determine if it has the key components of research articles.
4. NOTE: Even though a particular journal is peer-reviewed, some articles, such as news items, editorials, letters to the editor, and book reviews, may not have gone through the peer-review process.