How to Know if an Article Is Peer Reviewed

How to recognize peer-reviewed (refereed) journals

In many cases professors volition require that students utilize articles from "peer-reviewed" journals. Sometimes the phrases "refereed journals" or "scholarly journals" are used to describe the same type of journals. But what are peer-reviewed (or refereed or scholarly) journal articles, and why do kinesthesia require their use?

Iii categories of data resource:

• Newspapers and magazines containing news - Articles are written past reporters who may or may not exist experts in the field of the commodity. Consequently, articles may contain wrong information.
• Journals containing articles written by academics and/or professionals — Although the articles are written by "experts," whatever particular "expert" may accept some ideas that are really "out there!"
• Peer-reviewed (refereed or scholarly) journals - Articles are written by experts and are reviewed past several other experts in the field before the article is published in the journal in society to ensure the article's quality. (The article is more than likely to be scientifically valid, reach reasonable conclusions, etc.) In most cases the reviewers do not know who the author of the commodity is, so that the article succeeds or fails on its own merit, non the reputation of the practiced.

Helpful hint!

Not all information in a peer-reviewed periodical is really refereed, or reviewed. For example, editorials, letters to the editor, book reviews, and other types of information don't count equally articles, and may not be accepted by your professor.

How practice you determine whether an article qualifies equally being a peer-reviewed journal article?

First, y'all need to be able to identify which journals are peer-reviewed. At that place are generally iv methods for doing this

1. Limiting a database search to peer-reviewed journals only.
   Some databases permit you to limit searches for articles to peer reviewed journals only. For instance, Academic Search Complete has this feature on the initial search screen - click on the pertinent box to limit the search. In some databases you lot may take to go to an "advanced" or "adept" search screen to do this. Retrieve, many databases do not allow yous to limit your search in this way.
2. Checking in the database Ulrichsweb.com to determine if the periodical is indicated as being peer-reviewed.
   If you cannot limit your initial search to peer-reviewed journals, you volition need to cheque to see if the source of an article is a peer-reviewed journal. This can exist done by searching the database Ulrichsweb.com. Go to the alphabetical listing of databases and click on the "U". Select Ulrichsweb.com. It helps to blazon in the exact title of the source periodical including whatsoever initial A, AN, or THE in the championship. If you lot don't notice the periodical y'all are interested in, y'all may desire to utilize Method iii below. If your periodical title IS displayed, cheque to see if the journal is indicated as being refereed by having the symbol next to the title.
3. Examining the publication to see if it is peer-reviewed.
   If by using the starting time 2 methods y'all were unable to place if a journal (and an article therein) is peer-reviewed, you may then demand to examine the journal physically or look at additional pages of the periodical online to decide if it is peer-reviewed. This method is not e'er successful with resource bachelor only online. The following steps are suggested:
   1. Locate the journal in the Library or online, so identify the almost electric current unabridged year's issues.
   2. Locate the masthead of the publication. This oft consists of a box towards either the front or the end of the periodical, and contains publication information such every bit the editors of the periodical, the publisher, the place of publication, the subscription cost and similar data.
   3. Does the journal say that information technology is peer-reviewed? If so, you're done! If non, move on to step d.
   4. Check in and effectually the masthead to locate the method for submitting articles to the publication.  If you find information similar to "to submit articles, send three copies…", the periodical is probably peer-reviewed. In this instance, you are inferring that the publication is and so going to send the multiple copies of the article to the journal'southward reviewers. This may not always be the case, so relying upon this benchmark lonely may prove inaccurate.
   5. If y'all do not meet this type of statement in the start issue of the journal that yous look at, examine the remaining journals to encounter if this data is included. Sometimes publications will include this information in only a single outcome a year.
   6. Is it scholarly, using technical terminology? Does the article format approximate the following - abstruse, literature review, methodology, results, decision, and references? Are the articles written past scholarly researchers in the field that the periodical pertains to? Is advertizement non-existent, or kept to a minimum? Are there references listed in footnotes or bibliographies? If you answered yep to all these questions , the periodical may very well be peer-reviewed. This determination would be strengthened past having met the previous criterion of a multiple-copies submission requirement. If you lot answered these questions no, the journal is probably not peer-reviewed.
4. Find the official web site on the net, and check to run into if it states that the journal is peer-reviewed. Be careful to utilise the official site (oftentimes located at the journal publisher's web site), and, even then, information could potentially exist "inaccurate."

Helpful hint!

If yous accept used the previous 4 methods in trying to determine if an article is from a peer-reviewed journal and are withal unsure, speak to your instructor.

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Source: https://www.angelo.edu/library/handouts/peerrev.php

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