how to know if the research is peer reviewed

Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to know if an article is peer reviewed [6 key features]

Features of a peer reviewed article

How to find peer reviewed articles, frequently asked questions about peer reviewed articles, related articles.

A peer reviewed article refers to a work that has been thoroughly assessed, and based on its quality, has been accepted for publication in a scholarly journal. The aim of peer reviewing is to publish articles that meet the standards established in each field. This way, peer reviewed articles that are published can be taken as models of research practices.

A peer reviewed article can be recognized by the following features:

• It is published in a scholarly journal.
• It has a serious and academic tone.
• It features an abstract at the beginning.
• It is divided by headings into introduction, literature review or background, discussion, and conclusion.
• It includes in-text citations, and a bibliography listing accurately all references.
• Its authors are affiliated with a research institute or university.

There are many ways in which you can find peer reviewed articles, for instance:

• Check the journal's features and 'About' section. This part should state if the articles published in the journal are peer reviewed, and the type of reviewing they perform.
• Consult a database with peer reviewed journals, such as Web of Science Master Journal List , PubMed , Scopus , Google Scholar , etc. Specify in the advanced search settings that you are looking for peer reviewed journals only.
• Consult your library's database, and specify in the search settings that you are looking for peer reviewed journals only.

➡️  How to identify if a source is scholarly

➡️  What are credible sources?

A peer reviewed article refers to a work that has been thoroughly assessed, and based on its quality has been accepted to be published in a scholarly journal.

Once an article has been submitted for publication to a peer reviewed journal, the journal assigns the article to an expert in the field, who is considered the “peer”.

The easiest way to find a peer reviewed article is to narrow down the search in the "Advanced search" option. Then, mark the box that says "peer reviewed".

Consult a database with peer reviewed journals, such as Web of Science Master Journal List , PubMed , Scopus , etc.

There are many views on peer reviewed articles. Take a look at Peer Review in Scientific Publications: Benefits, Critiques, & A Survival Guide for more insight on this topic.

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Scholarly Articles: How can I tell?

• Journal Information
• Literature Review
• Author and affiliation
• Introduction
• Specialized Vocabulary
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What is peer review?

Identifying if a journal is peer-reviewed, using the database to identify a peer-reviewed journal, identifying if a journal is peer-reviewed with ulrichsweb.

Peer review refers to the process where researchers submit a paper they have written to a journal. The journal editor then sends the article to the author's peers (researchers and scholars) who are in the same discipline for review. The reviewers determine if the article should be published based on the quality of the research, including the validity of the data, the conclusions the authors' draw and the originality of the research. This process is important because it validates the research and gives it a sort of "seal of approval" from others in the research community.

If you have a print edition of a journal, you can often determine if the journal is peer-reviewed. Print journals usually contain instructions for authors, including the journal's peer review policy, inside the front or back covers or in a page near the end of the issue.

However, one of the best places to find out if a journal is peer-reviewed is to go to the journal website. Most publishers have a website for a journal that tells you about the journal, how authors can submit an article, and what the process is for getting published.

On the journal website, look for the link that says information for authors, instructions for authors, submitting an article or something similar.

Another place to find out if the journal is peer-reviewed is to use one of the online databases.

For example, if you know that articles from your journal appear in the Academic Search Premier database, you can search for the journal in the database and learn more about it.

Go to Academic Search Premier and click on Publications at the top of the screen.

Enter the name of the journal and click browse. If the journal is included in the database, you will see it in the list of results.

This will take you to the journal information. At the bottom, you can see that this journal is peer-reviewed.

Academic Search Premiere does not include all journals so the one you are looking for may not be listed here. You can also try AcademicOneFile and browse for the publication.

Another way to determine a journal's peer review status is with Ulrichsweb, which uses the term "refereed". Most larger public and academic libraries have access. Members of the OSU community can access Ulrichsweb using the link below.

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FAQ: How do I know if my articles are scholarly (peer-reviewed)?

How to identify a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal article, what are scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles.

Scholarly articles are those that are reviewed by multiple experts from their related  field(s) and then published in academic journals. There are academic journals for every subject area. The primary purpose of scholarly journals is to represent and disseminate research and scholarly discussions among scholars (faculty, researchers, students) within, and across, different academic disciplines.  

Scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles can be identified by the following characteristics:

• Author(s): They are typically written by professors, researchers, or other scholars who specialize in the field and are often  identified by the academic institution at which they work.
• Purpose : They are published by professional associations, university publishers or other academic publishers  to  report research results or discuss ongoing research in detail.
• Language: They are highly specialized and may use technical language.
• Layout: They will cite their sources and include footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical citations and/or a list of bibliographic references.
• Content : They may include graphs and tables and they undergo a peer review process before publication.  

Helpful tips for finding scholarly articles:

What is a Scholarly Journal Article?

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Finding Journal Articles 101

Peer-reviewed or refereed.

• Research Article
• Review Article
• By Journal Title

What Does "Peer-reviewed" or "Refereed" Mean?

Peer review is a process that journals use to ensure the articles they publish represent the best scholarship currently available. When an article is submitted to a peer reviewed journal, the editors send it out to other scholars in the same field (the author's peers) to get their opinion on the quality of the scholarship, its relevance to the field, its appropriateness for the journal, etc.

Publications that don't use peer review (Time, Cosmo, Salon) just rely on the judgment of the editors whether an article is up to snuff or not. That's why you can't count on them for solid, scientific scholarship.

Note:This is an entirely different concept from " Review Articles ."

How do I know if a journal publishes peer-reviewed articles?

Usually, you can tell just by looking. A scholarly journal is visibly different from other magazines, but occasionally it can be hard to tell, or you just want to be extra-certain. In that case, you turn to Ulrich's Periodical Directory Online . Just type the journal's title into the text box, hit "submit," and you'll get back a report that will tell you (among other things) whether the journal contains articles that are peer reviewed, or, as Ulrich's calls it, Refereed.

Remember, even journals that use peer review may have some content that does not undergo peer review. The ultimate determination must be made on an article-by-article basis.

For example, the journal  Science  publishes  a mix  of peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed content. Here are two articles from the same issue of  Science . 

This one is not peer-reviewed:  https://science-sciencemag-org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/content/303/5655/154.1  This one is a peer-reviewed research article:  https://science-sciencemag-org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/content/303/5655/226

That is consistent with the Ulrichsweb  description of  Science , which states, "Provides news of recent international developments and research in all fields of science. Publishes original research results, reviews and short features."

Test these periodicals in Ulrichs :

• Advances in Dental Research
• Clinical Anatomy
• Molecular Cancer Research
• Journal of Clinical Electrophysiology
• Last Updated: Aug 28, 2023 9:25 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/journalarticles101

Peer-reviewed journal articles

• Overview of peer review
• Scholarly and academic - good enough?
• Find peer-reviewed articles

Use Library Search

Is a journal peer reviewed, check the journal.

Resources listed in  Library Search that are peer reviewed will include the Peer Reviewed icon.

For example:

If you have not used Library Search to find the article, which may indicate if it's peer reviewed, you can use Ulrichsweb to check.

• Go to Ulrichsweb

Screenshot of search box in UlrichsWeb  © Proquest

•  Enter the journal title in the search box.

Screenshot of results list in UlrichsWeb  © Proquest

•  If there are no results, do a search in Ulrichsweb to find journals in your field that are peer reviewed.

Be aware that not all articles in peer reviewed journals are refereed or peer reviewed, for example, editorials and book reviews.

If the journal is not listed in Ulrichsweb :

• Go to the journal's website
• Check for information on a peer review process for the journal. Try the Author guidelines , Instructions for authors  or About this journal sections.

If you can find no evidence that a journal is peer reviewed, but you are required to have a refereed article, you may need to choose a different article.

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Tutorial: Evaluating Information: Peer Review

• Evaluating Information
• Scholarly Literature Types
• Primary vs. Secondary Articles
• Peer Review
• Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analysis
• Gray Literature
• Evaluating Like a Boss
• Evaluating AV

Types of scholarly literature

You will encounter many types of articles and it is important to distinguish between these different categories of scholarly literature. Keep in mind the following definitions.

Peer-reviewed (or refereed):  Refers to articles that have undergone a rigorous review process, often including revisions to the original manuscript, by peers in their discipline, before publication in a scholarly journal. This can include empirical studies, review articles, meta-analyses among others.

Empirical study (or primary article): An empirical study is one that aims to gain new knowledge on a topic through direct or indirect observation and research. These include quantitative or qualitative data and analysis. In science, an empirical article will often include the following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.

Review article:  In the scientific literature, this is a type of article that provides a synthesis of existing research on a particular topic. These are useful when you want to get an idea of a body of research that you are not yet familiar with. It differs from a systematic review in that it does not aim to capture ALL of the research on a particular topic.

Systematic review:  This is a methodical and thorough literature review focused on a particular research question. It's aim is to identify and synthesize all of the scholarly research on a particular topic in an unbiased, reproducible way to provide evidence for practice and policy-making. It may involve a meta-analysis (see below). 

Meta-analysis:  This is a type of research study that combines or contrasts data from different independent studies in a new analysis in order to strengthen the understanding of a particular topic. There are many methods, some complex, applied to performing this type of analysis.

Peer Reviewed Article vs. Review Article

TIP :  Review articles and Peer-reviewed articles are not the same thing!  Review articles synthesize and analyze the results of multiple studies on a topic; peer-reviewed articles are articles of any kind that have been vetted for quality by an expert or number of experts in the field. The bibliographies of review articles can be a great source of original, peer-reviewed empirical articles.

Peer Review in Three Minutes

Watch this 3 minute intro to peer review video by North Carolina State University or read this short introduction by the University of Texas at Austin Library.

Is It Peer-Reviewed & How Can I Tell?

There are a couple of ways you can tell if a journal is peer-reviewed:

• If it's online, go to the journal home page and check under About This Journal. Often the brief description of the journal will note that it is peer-reviewed or refereed or will list the Editors or Editorial Board.
• Go to the database Ulrich's and do a Title Keyword search for the journal. If it is peer-reviewed or refereed, the title will have a little umpire shirt symbol by it.
• BE CAREFUL! A journal can be refereed/peer-reviewed and still have non-peer reviewed articles in it. Generally if the article is an editorial, brief news item or short communication, it's not been through the full peer-review process. Databases like Web of Knowledge will let you restrict your search only to articles (and not editorials, conference proceedings, etc).

Checking Peer Review in Ulrich's

Using Ulrich's Periodicals Directory to Verify Peer Review of Your Journal Title

To use this, click on the Ulrich's link to enter the database (or search for it on the main library website).

Change the Quick Search dropdown menu to Title (Keyword) and type your  full   journal title  (not your article title or keywords) into the Quick Search box, then click Search. 

This will give you a list of journal titles which includes the title you typed in. Check the Legend in the upper right corner to view the Refereed symbol ("refereed" is another term for peer-reviewed.) Then check your journal title to make sure it has the refereed symbol next to it.

NOTE: Though a journal can be peer-reviewed, letters to the editor and news reports in those same scientific journals are not! Make sure your article is a primary research article.

• Ulrich's Periodicals Directory Contains information on currently published as well as discontinued periodicals. Includes magazines, journals, newsletters, newspapers, conference proceedings, and electronic publications, together with search and browse indexes. It also contains complete names and addresses of journal publishers.

Peer reviewed articles

They both come out once every month. They're both in English. Both published in the United States. Both of them are "factual".They both have pictures. They even cover some of the same topics.

The difference is that one--Journal of Geography--is peer-reviewed, whereas  National Geographic  is a popular-press title. 

Peer review  is scientists' and other scholars' best effort to publish accurate information. Each article has been submitted by a researcher, and then  reviewed by other scholars in the same field to ensure that it is sound science.  What they are looking for is that:

• The methodology has been fully described (and the study can thus be replicated by another researcher)
• There are no obvious errors of calculation or statistical analysis
• Crucially: The findings support the conclusions. That is, do the results of the research support what the researcher has said about them? The classic problematic example is a scientist claiming that hair growth causes time to pass: The correlation is clearly not causation.

Things to know about peer review:

• It isn't a perfect system:  Scientists make errors (or commit fraud) as often as any other human being and sometimes bad articles slip through. But in general, peer-review ensures that many trained eyes have seen an article before it appears in print.
• Peer-reviewed journals are generally considered "primary source" material:  When a new scientific discovery is made, a peer-reviewed journal is often--but not always--the first place it appears.
• Popular and trade publications  are not peer-reviewed, they are simply edited. That does not mean they are any less potentially truthful or informative--most popular and trade publications take pride in careful fact-checking.* But when the topic is scientific research, the information is generally  "secondary" : It has already appeared elsewhere (usually in a peer-reviewed journal) and has now been "digested" for a broader audience.
• Peer-reviewed journals will always identify themselves as such. If you want to verify that a journal is peer-reviewed, check Ulrich's Periodical Directory .

Some sources of peer-reviewed articles:

• Cornell University Library homepage In particular, check the Articles & Full-Text search and then choose "Limit to articles from scholarly publications, including peer-review" at the top-left.
• Google Scholar Google Scholar takes Google's PageRank algorithm and runs it on a pre-selected set of tables-of-contents and metadata from a preselected set of scholarly journals and papers. These are largely--though not entirely--peer-reviewed. It is a much better option than a regular Google search for scholarly information.
• Web of Science Choosing "All Databases" allows you to search an index of journal articles, conference proceedings, data sets, and other resources in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
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• Last Updated: Oct 20, 2021 11:11 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/evaluate

• USU Library

Articles: Finding (and Identifying) Peer-Reviewed Articles: What is Peer Review?

• What is Peer Review?
• Finding Peer Reviewed Articles
• Databases That Can Determine Peer Review

Peer Review in 3 Minutes

What is "Peer-Review"?

What are they.

Scholarly articles are papers that describe a research study. 

Why are scholarly articles useful?

They report original research projects that have been reviewed by other experts before they are accepted for publication, so you can reasonably be assured that they contain valid information. 

How do you identify scholarly or peer-reviewed articles?

• They are usually fairly lengthy - most likely at least 7-10 pages
• The authors and their credentials should be identified, at least the company or university where the author is employed
• There is usually a list of References or Works Cited at the end of the paper, listing the sources that the authors used in their research

How do you find them? 

Some of the library's databases contain scholarly articles, either exclusively or in combination with other types of articles. 

Google Scholar is another option for searching for scholarly articles. 

Know the Difference Between Scholarly and Popular Journals/Magazines

Peer reviewed articles are found in scholarly journals.  The checklist below can help you determine if what you are looking at is peer reviewed or scholarly.

• Both kinds of journals and magazines can be useful sources of information.
• Popular magazines and newspapers are good for overviews, recent news, first-person accounts, and opinions about a topic.
• Scholarly journals, often called scientific or peer-reviewed journals, are good sources of actual studies or research conducted about a particular topic. They go through a process of review by experts, so the information is usually highly reliable.

• Next: Finding Peer Reviewed Articles >>
• Last Updated: May 21, 2024 8:45 AM
• URL: https://libguides.usu.edu/peer-review

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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Understanding Peer Review in Science

Peer review is an essential element of the scientific publishing process that helps ensure that research articles are evaluated, critiqued, and improved before release into the academic community. Take a look at the significance of peer review in scientific publications, the typical steps of the process, and and how to approach peer review if you are asked to assess a manuscript.

What Is Peer Review?

Peer review is the evaluation of work by peers, who are people with comparable experience and competency. Peers assess each others’ work in educational settings, in professional settings, and in the publishing world. The goal of peer review is improving quality, defining and maintaining standards, and helping people learn from one another.

In the context of scientific publication, peer review helps editors determine which submissions merit publication and improves the quality of manuscripts prior to their final release.

Types of Peer Review for Manuscripts

There are three main types of peer review:

• Single-blind review: The reviewers know the identities of the authors, but the authors do not know the identities of the reviewers.
• Double-blind review: Both the authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other.
• Open peer review: The identities of both the authors and reviewers are disclosed, promoting transparency and collaboration.

There are advantages and disadvantages of each method. Anonymous reviews reduce bias but reduce collaboration, while open reviews are more transparent, but increase bias.

Key Elements of Peer Review

Proper selection of a peer group improves the outcome of the process:

• Expertise : Reviewers should possess adequate knowledge and experience in the relevant field to provide constructive feedback.
• Objectivity : Reviewers assess the manuscript impartially and without personal bias.
• Confidentiality : The peer review process maintains confidentiality to protect intellectual property and encourage honest feedback.
• Timeliness : Reviewers provide feedback within a reasonable timeframe to ensure timely publication.

Steps of the Peer Review Process

The typical peer review process for scientific publications involves the following steps:

• Submission : Authors submit their manuscript to a journal that aligns with their research topic.
• Editorial assessment : The journal editor examines the manuscript and determines whether or not it is suitable for publication. If it is not, the manuscript is rejected.
• Peer review : If it is suitable, the editor sends the article to peer reviewers who are experts in the relevant field.
• Reviewer feedback : Reviewers provide feedback, critique, and suggestions for improvement.
• Revision and resubmission : Authors address the feedback and make necessary revisions before resubmitting the manuscript.
• Final decision : The editor makes a final decision on whether to accept or reject the manuscript based on the revised version and reviewer comments.
• Publication : If accepted, the manuscript undergoes copyediting and formatting before being published in the journal.

Pros and Cons

While the goal of peer review is improving the quality of published research, the process isn’t without its drawbacks.

• Quality assurance : Peer review helps ensure the quality and reliability of published research.
• Error detection : The process identifies errors and flaws that the authors may have overlooked.
• Credibility : The scientific community generally considers peer-reviewed articles to be more credible.
• Professional development : Reviewers can learn from the work of others and enhance their own knowledge and understanding.
• Time-consuming : The peer review process can be lengthy, delaying the publication of potentially valuable research.
• Bias : Personal biases of reviews impact their evaluation of the manuscript.
• Inconsistency : Different reviewers may provide conflicting feedback, making it challenging for authors to address all concerns.
• Limited effectiveness : Peer review does not always detect significant errors or misconduct.
• Poaching : Some reviewers take an idea from a submission and gain publication before the authors of the original research.

Steps for Conducting Peer Review of an Article

Generally, an editor provides guidance when you are asked to provide peer review of a manuscript. Here are typical steps of the process.

• Accept the right assignment: Accept invitations to review articles that align with your area of expertise to ensure you can provide well-informed feedback.
• Manage your time: Allocate sufficient time to thoroughly read and evaluate the manuscript, while adhering to the journal’s deadline for providing feedback.
• Read the manuscript multiple times: First, read the manuscript for an overall understanding of the research. Then, read it more closely to assess the details, methodology, results, and conclusions.
• Evaluate the structure and organization: Check if the manuscript follows the journal’s guidelines and is structured logically, with clear headings, subheadings, and a coherent flow of information.
• Assess the quality of the research: Evaluate the research question, study design, methodology, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Consider whether the methods are appropriate, the results are valid, and the conclusions are supported by the data.
• Examine the originality and relevance: Determine if the research offers new insights, builds on existing knowledge, and is relevant to the field.
• Check for clarity and consistency: Review the manuscript for clarity of writing, consistent terminology, and proper formatting of figures, tables, and references.
• Identify ethical issues: Look for potential ethical concerns, such as plagiarism, data fabrication, or conflicts of interest.
• Provide constructive feedback: Offer specific, actionable, and objective suggestions for improvement, highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript. Don’t be mean.
• Organize your review: Structure your review with an overview of your evaluation, followed by detailed comments and suggestions organized by section (e.g., introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion).
• Be professional and respectful: Maintain a respectful tone in your feedback, avoiding personal criticism or derogatory language.
• Proofread your review: Before submitting your review, proofread it for typos, grammar, and clarity.
• Couzin-Frankel J (September 2013). “Biomedical publishing. Secretive and subjective, peer review proves resistant to study”. Science . 341 (6152): 1331. doi: 10.1126/science.341.6152.1331
• Lee, Carole J.; Sugimoto, Cassidy R.; Zhang, Guo; Cronin, Blaise (2013). “Bias in peer review”. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. 64 (1): 2–17. doi: 10.1002/asi.22784
• Slavov, Nikolai (2015). “Making the most of peer review”. eLife . 4: e12708. doi: 10.7554/eLife.12708
• Spier, Ray (2002). “The history of the peer-review process”. Trends in Biotechnology . 20 (8): 357–8. doi: 10.1016/S0167-7799(02)01985-6
• Squazzoni, Flaminio; Brezis, Elise; Marušić, Ana (2017). “Scientometrics of peer review”. Scientometrics . 113 (1): 501–502. doi: 10.1007/s11192-017-2518-4

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Peer review guidance: a primer for researchers

Olena zimba.

1 Department of Internal Medicine No. 2, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Lviv, Ukraine

Armen Yuri Gasparyan

2 Departments of Rheumatology and Research and Development, Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (Teaching Trust of the University of Birmingham, UK), Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, West Midlands, UK

The peer review process is essential for quality checks and validation of journal submissions. Although it has some limitations, including manipulations and biased and unfair evaluations, there is no other alternative to the system. Several peer review models are now practised, with public review being the most appropriate in view of the open science movement. Constructive reviewer comments are increasingly recognised as scholarly contributions which should meet certain ethics and reporting standards. The Publons platform, which is now part of the Web of Science Group (Clarivate Analytics), credits validated reviewer accomplishments and serves as an instrument for selecting and promoting the best reviewers. All authors with relevant profiles may act as reviewers. Adherence to research reporting standards and access to bibliographic databases are recommended to help reviewers draft evidence-based and detailed comments.

Introduction

The peer review process is essential for evaluating the quality of scholarly works, suggesting corrections, and learning from other authors’ mistakes. The principles of peer review are largely based on professionalism, eloquence, and collegiate attitude. As such, reviewing journal submissions is a privilege and responsibility for ‘elite’ research fellows who contribute to their professional societies and add value by voluntarily sharing their knowledge and experience.

Since the launch of the first academic periodicals back in 1665, the peer review has been mandatory for validating scientific facts, selecting influential works, and minimizing chances of publishing erroneous research reports [ 1 ]. Over the past centuries, peer review models have evolved from single-handed editorial evaluations to collegial discussions, with numerous strengths and inevitable limitations of each practised model [ 2 , 3 ]. With multiplication of periodicals and editorial management platforms, the reviewer pool has expanded and internationalized. Various sets of rules have been proposed to select skilled reviewers and employ globally acceptable tools and language styles [ 4 , 5 ].

In the era of digitization, the ethical dimension of the peer review has emerged, necessitating involvement of peers with full understanding of research and publication ethics to exclude unethical articles from the pool of evidence-based research and reviews [ 6 ]. In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, some, if not most, journals face the unavailability of skilled reviewers, resulting in an unprecedented increase of articles without a history of peer review or those with surprisingly short evaluation timelines [ 7 ].

Editorial recommendations and the best reviewers

Guidance on peer review and selection of reviewers is currently available in the recommendations of global editorial associations which can be consulted by journal editors for updating their ethics statements and by research managers for crediting the evaluators. The International Committee on Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) qualifies peer review as a continuation of the scientific process that should involve experts who are able to timely respond to reviewer invitations, submitting unbiased and constructive comments, and keeping confidentiality [ 8 ].

The reviewer roles and responsibilities are listed in the updated recommendations of the Council of Science Editors (CSE) [ 9 ] where ethical conduct is viewed as a premise of the quality evaluations. The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) further emphasizes editorial strategies that ensure transparent and unbiased reviewer evaluations by trained professionals [ 10 ]. Finally, the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) prioritizes selecting the best reviewers with validated profiles to avoid substandard or fraudulent reviewer comments [ 11 ]. Accordingly, the Sarajevo Declaration on Integrity and Visibility of Scholarly Publications encourages reviewers to register with the Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) platform to validate and publicize their scholarly activities [ 12 ].

Although the best reviewer criteria are not listed in the editorial recommendations, it is apparent that the manuscript evaluators should be active researchers with extensive experience in the subject matter and an impressive list of relevant and recent publications [ 13 ]. All authors embarking on an academic career and publishing articles with active contact details can be involved in the evaluation of others’ scholarly works [ 14 ]. Ideally, the reviewers should be peers of the manuscript authors with equal scholarly ranks and credentials.

However, journal editors may employ schemes that engage junior research fellows as co-reviewers along with their mentors and senior fellows [ 15 ]. Such a scheme is successfully practised within the framework of the Emerging EULAR (European League Against Rheumatism) Network (EMEUNET) where seasoned authors (mentors) train ongoing researchers (mentees) how to evaluate submissions to the top rheumatology journals and select the best evaluators for regular contributors to these journals [ 16 ].

The awareness of the EQUATOR Network reporting standards may help the reviewers to evaluate methodology and suggest related revisions. Statistical skills help the reviewers to detect basic mistakes and suggest additional analyses. For example, scanning data presentation and revealing mistakes in the presentation of means and standard deviations often prompt re-analyses of distributions and replacement of parametric tests with non-parametric ones [ 17 , 18 ].

Constructive reviewer comments

The main goal of the peer review is to support authors in their attempt to publish ethically sound and professionally validated works that may attract readers’ attention and positively influence healthcare research and practice. As such, an optimal reviewer comment has to comprehensively examine all parts of the research and review work ( Table I ). The best reviewers are viewed as contributors who guide authors on how to correct mistakes, discuss study limitations, and highlight its strengths [ 19 ].

Structure of a reviewer comment to be forwarded to authors

Some of the currently practised review models are well positioned to help authors reveal and correct their mistakes at pre- or post-publication stages ( Table II ). The global move toward open science is particularly instrumental for increasing the quality and transparency of reviewer contributions.

Advantages and disadvantages of common manuscript evaluation models

Since there are no universally acceptable criteria for selecting reviewers and structuring their comments, instructions of all peer-reviewed journal should specify priorities, models, and expected review outcomes [ 20 ]. Monitoring and reporting average peer review timelines is also required to encourage timely evaluations and avoid delays. Depending on journal policies and article types, the first round of peer review may last from a few days to a few weeks. The fast-track review (up to 3 days) is practised by some top journals which process clinical trial reports and other priority items.

In exceptional cases, reviewer contributions may result in substantive changes, appreciated by authors in the official acknowledgments. In most cases, however, reviewers should avoid engaging in the authors’ research and writing. They should refrain from instructing the authors on additional tests and data collection as these may delay publication of original submissions with conclusive results.

Established publishers often employ advanced editorial management systems that support reviewers by providing instantaneous access to the review instructions, online structured forms, and some bibliographic databases. Such support enables drafting of evidence-based comments that examine the novelty, ethical soundness, and implications of the reviewed manuscripts [ 21 ].

Encouraging reviewers to submit their recommendations on manuscript acceptance/rejection and related editorial tasks is now a common practice. Skilled reviewers may prompt the editors to reject or transfer manuscripts which fall outside the journal scope, perform additional ethics checks, and minimize chances of publishing erroneous and unethical articles. They may also raise concerns over the editorial strategies in their comments to the editors.

Since reviewer and editor roles are distinct, reviewer recommendations are aimed at helping editors, but not at replacing their decision-making functions. The final decisions rest with handling editors. Handling editors weigh not only reviewer comments, but also priorities related to article types and geographic origins, space limitations in certain periods, and envisaged influence in terms of social media attention and citations. This is why rejections of even flawless manuscripts are likely at early rounds of internal and external evaluations across most peer-reviewed journals.

Reviewers are often requested to comment on language correctness and overall readability of the evaluated manuscripts. Given the wide availability of in-house and external editing services, reviewer comments on language mistakes and typos are categorized as minor. At the same time, non-Anglophone experts’ poor language skills often exclude them from contributing to the peer review in most influential journals [ 22 ]. Comments should be properly edited to convey messages in positive or neutral tones, express ideas of varying degrees of certainty, and present logical order of words, sentences, and paragraphs [ 23 , 24 ]. Consulting linguists on communication culture, passing advanced language courses, and honing commenting skills may increase the overall quality and appeal of the reviewer accomplishments [ 5 , 25 ].

Peer reviewer credits

Various crediting mechanisms have been proposed to motivate reviewers and maintain the integrity of science communication [ 26 ]. Annual reviewer acknowledgments are widely practised for naming manuscript evaluators and appreciating their scholarly contributions. Given the need to weigh reviewer contributions, some journal editors distinguish ‘elite’ reviewers with numerous evaluations and award those with timely and outstanding accomplishments [ 27 ]. Such targeted recognition ensures ethical soundness of the peer review and facilitates promotion of the best candidates for grant funding and academic job appointments [ 28 ].

Also, large publishers and learned societies issue certificates of excellence in reviewing which may include Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points [ 29 ]. Finally, an entirely new crediting mechanism is proposed to award bonus points to active reviewers who may collect, transfer, and use these points to discount gold open-access charges within the publisher consortia [ 30 ].

With the launch of Publons ( http://publons.com/ ) and its integration with Web of Science Group (Clarivate Analytics), reviewer recognition has become a matter of scientific prestige. Reviewers can now freely open their Publons accounts and record their contributions to online journals with Digital Object Identifiers (DOI). Journal editors, in turn, may generate official reviewer acknowledgments and encourage reviewers to forward them to Publons for building up individual reviewer and journal profiles. All published articles maintain e-links to their review records and post-publication promotion on social media, allowing the reviewers to continuously track expert evaluations and comments. A paid-up partnership is also available to journals and publishers for automatically transferring peer-review records to Publons upon mutually acceptable arrangements.

Listing reviewer accomplishments on an individual Publons profile showcases scholarly contributions of the account holder. The reviewer accomplishments placed next to the account holders’ own articles and editorial accomplishments point to the diversity of scholarly contributions. Researchers may establish links between their Publons and ORCID accounts to further benefit from complementary services of both platforms. Publons Academy ( https://publons.com/community/academy/ ) additionally offers an online training course to novice researchers who may improve their reviewing skills under the guidance of experienced mentors and journal editors. Finally, journal editors may conduct searches through the Publons platform to select the best reviewers across academic disciplines.

Peer review ethics

Prior to accepting reviewer invitations, scholars need to weigh a number of factors which may compromise their evaluations. First of all, they are required to accept the reviewer invitations if they are capable of timely submitting their comments. Peer review timelines depend on article type and vary widely across journals. The rules of transparent publishing necessitate recording manuscript submission and acceptance dates in article footnotes to inform readers of the evaluation speed and to help investigators in the event of multiple unethical submissions. Timely reviewer accomplishments often enable fast publication of valuable works with positive implications for healthcare. Unjustifiably long peer review, on the contrary, delays dissemination of influential reports and results in ethical misconduct, such as plagiarism of a manuscript under evaluation [ 31 ].

In the times of proliferation of open-access journals relying on article processing charges, unjustifiably short review may point to the absence of quality evaluation and apparently ‘predatory’ publishing practice [ 32 , 33 ]. Authors when choosing their target journals should take into account the peer review strategy and associated timelines to avoid substandard periodicals.

Reviewer primary interests (unbiased evaluation of manuscripts) may come into conflict with secondary interests (promotion of their own scholarly works), necessitating disclosures by filling in related parts in the online reviewer window or uploading the ICMJE conflict of interest forms. Biomedical reviewers, who are directly or indirectly supported by the pharmaceutical industry, may encounter conflicts while evaluating drug research. Such instances require explicit disclosures of conflicts and/or rejections of reviewer invitations.

Journal editors are obliged to employ mechanisms for disclosing reviewer financial and non-financial conflicts of interest to avoid processing of biased comments [ 34 ]. They should also cautiously process negative comments that oppose dissenting, but still valid, scientific ideas [ 35 ]. Reviewer conflicts that stem from academic activities in a competitive environment may introduce biases, resulting in unfair rejections of manuscripts with opposing concepts, results, and interpretations. The same academic conflicts may lead to coercive reviewer self-citations, forcing authors to incorporate suggested reviewer references or face negative feedback and an unjustified rejection [ 36 ]. Notably, several publisher investigations have demonstrated a global scale of such misconduct, involving some highly cited researchers and top scientific journals [ 37 ].

Fake peer review, an extreme example of conflict of interest, is another form of misconduct that has surfaced in the time of mass proliferation of gold open-access journals and publication of articles without quality checks [ 38 ]. Fake reviews are generated by manipulating authors and commercial editing agencies with full access to their own manuscripts and peer review evaluations in the journal editorial management systems. The sole aim of these reviews is to break the manuscript evaluation process and to pave the way for publication of pseudoscientific articles. Authors of these articles are often supported by funds intended for the growth of science in non-Anglophone countries [ 39 ]. Iranian and Chinese authors are often caught submitting fake reviews, resulting in mass retractions by large publishers [ 38 ]. Several suggestions have been made to overcome this issue, with assigning independent reviewers and requesting their ORCID IDs viewed as the most practical options [ 40 ].

Conclusions

The peer review process is regulated by publishers and editors, enforcing updated global editorial recommendations. Selecting the best reviewers and providing authors with constructive comments may improve the quality of published articles. Reviewers are selected in view of their professional backgrounds and skills in research reporting, statistics, ethics, and language. Quality reviewer comments attract superior submissions and add to the journal’s scientific prestige [ 41 ].

In the era of digitization and open science, various online tools and platforms are available to upgrade the peer review and credit experts for their scholarly contributions. With its links to the ORCID platform and social media channels, Publons now offers the optimal model for crediting and keeping track of the best and most active reviewers. Publons Academy additionally offers online training for novice researchers who may benefit from the experience of their mentoring editors. Overall, reviewer training in how to evaluate journal submissions and avoid related misconduct is an important process, which some indexed journals are experimenting with [ 42 ].

The timelines and rigour of the peer review may change during the current pandemic. However, journal editors should mobilize their resources to avoid publication of unchecked and misleading reports. Additional efforts are required to monitor published contents and encourage readers to post their comments on publishers’ online platforms (blogs) and other social media channels [ 43 , 44 ].

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Peer Reviewed Content on JSTOR

“is all the content on jstor peer reviewed”.

This is a common question from researchers using JSTOR. While nearly all of the journals collected in JSTOR are peer-reviewed publications, the archives also contain primary sources and content that is much older than today's standard peer-review process. However, all content on JSTOR is considered scholarly content.

In the following section we'll look at the peer review process, the definition of scholarly content, and how that relates to content on JSTOR.

Peer Review & Scholarly Content FAQs

What is peer review.

Peer review is the evaluation of a person's work or performance by a group of people in the same occupation, profession, or industry. 

In academia, peer review has become an integral part of the publishing process, where journal articles and books are formally evaluated by fellow researchers and experts in one’s field of study. Outside of academia, peer review has become the ultimate signifier that a work is based in facts. 

How is this different from scholarly content?

The primary difference is that peer-reviewed content requires a strict "peer approval" for publishing. Scholarly content that is not peer-reviewed only requires the approval of an editorial board.

Scholarly content is research-focused, published information; it reports the results of original research and experimentation. Peer-reviewed journals and books are always scholarly in nature, but scholarly content is not always peer-reviewed. This content is heavily cited in the form of either footnotes or bibliographies, and written by, and addressed to, experts in a discipline. 

How do I know if content on JSTOR has been peer reviewed?

This is a common question for researchers using JSTOR. However, the answer is quite complex. Peer review is a modern process that has only been widely accepted since the 1970s. Additionally, primary sources are not peer-reviewed but are still used for scholarly research. A large percentage of the content on JSTOR is either academic content that was published prior to the peer-review process or primary sources that are not subjected to the peer-review evaluation.

When asking if content on JSTOR has been peer reviewed, most researchers are actually asking “is this content scholarly and academic?” 

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Peer Reviewed Articles: What Are They?

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Peer Reviewed?

How do you determine whether an article qualifies as being a peer-reviewed journal article?

First, you need to be able to identify which journals are peer-reviewed. There are generally four methods for doing this

• Limiting a database search to peer-reviewed journals only.  You can do this in the Article Quick Search tab in the Library's home page.  
• Some  databases allow you to limit searches for articles to peer reviewed journals only. 
• If you cannot limit your initial search to peer-reviewed journals, you will need to check if the individual journal where the article was published is a peer-reviewed journal. You may want to utilize Method 3 below. 
• Examining the publication to see if it is peer-reviewed.

If  the first two methods described above did not identify the journal,(and the article), as peer-reviewed, you may then need to examine the journal physically or look at additional pages of the journal online to determine if it is peer-reviewed. ​ This method is not always successful with resources available only online. Try the following steps:

• Locate the journal in the Library or online, then identify the most current entire year’s issues.
• Locate the masthead of the publication. This usually consists of a box towards either the front or the end of the periodical, and contains publication information such as the editors of the journal, the publisher, the place of publication, the subscription cost and similar information. It is way easier to find in a print copy of the journal
• Does the journal say that it is peer-reviewed? If so, you’re done. If not, search farther within the journal's website.
• Check in and around 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 journal is probably peer-reviewed . In this case, you are inferring that the publication is then going to send the multiple copies of the article to the journal’s reviewers. This may not always be the case, so relying upon this information alone may not be foolproof.
• If you do not see this type of statement in the first issue of the journal that you look at, examine the remaining issues to see if this information is included. Sometimes publications will include this information in only a single issue a year.
• Is it scholarly, using technical terminology? Is the article format similar to the following - abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, and references? Are the articles written by scholarly researchers in the field? Is advertising non-existent, or kept to a minimum? Are there references listed in footnotes or bibliographies? If you answered yes to all these questions, the journal may very well be peer-reviewed. This determination would be strengthened by having met the previous criterion of a multiple-copies submission requirement. If you answered these questions no, the journal is probably not peer-reviewed.
• Find the journal web site on the internet, (not via library databases), and see if it states that the journal is peer-reviewed. Check the site URL to be sure it is the homepage of the journal or of the publisher of the journal.

Adapted from "How to Recognize Peer Reviewed Journals" , Angelo State University

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What Do You Mean by Peer Reviewed Sources?

(Source: NCSU Libraries)

What's so great about peer review?

Peer reviewed articles are often considered the most reliable and reputable sources in that field of study. Peer reviewed articles have undergone review (hence the "peer-review") by fellow experts in that field, as well as an editorial review process. The purpose of this is to ensure that, as much as possible, the finished product meets the standards of the field. 

Peer reviewed publications are one of the main ways researchers communicate with each other. 

Most library databases have features to help you discover articles from scholarly journals. Most articles from scholarly journals have gone through the peer review process. Many scholarly journals will also publish book reviews or start off with an editorial, which are not peer reviewed - so don't be tricked!

So that means I can turn my brain off, right?

Nope! You still need to engage with what you find. Are there additional scholarly sources with research that supports the source you've found, or have you encountered an outlier in the research? Have others been able to replicate the results of the research? Is the information old and outdated? Was this study on toothpaste (for example) funded by Colgate? 

You're engaging with the research - ultimately, you decide what belongs in your project, and what doesn't. You get to decide if a source is relevant or not. It's a lot of responsibility - but it's a lot of authority, too.

Understanding Types of Sources

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Popular vs. scholarly articles.

When looking for articles to use in your assignment, you should realize that there is a difference between "popular" and "scholarly" articles.

Popular  sources, such as newspapers and magazines, are written by journalists or others for general readers (for example, Time, Rolling Stone, and National Geographic).

Scholarly  sources are written for the academic community, including experts and students, on topics that are typically footnoted and based on research (for example, American Literature or New England Review). Scholarly journals are sometimes referred to as "peer-reviewed," "refereed" or "academic."

How do you find scholarly or "peer-reviewed" journal articles?

The option to select  scholarly or peer-reviewed articles is typically available on the search page of each database.  Just check the box or select the option . You can also search Ulrich's Periodical Directory  to see if the journal is Refereed / Peer-reviewed.  

Popular Sources (Magazines & Newspapers) Inform and entertain the general public.

• Are often written by journalists or professional writers for a general audience
• Use language easily understood by general readers
• Rarely give full citations for sources
• Written for the general public
• Tend to be shorter than journal articles

Scholarly or Academic Sources (Journals & Scholarly Books) Disseminate research and academic discussion among professionals in a discipline. 

• Are written by and for faculty, researchers or scholars (chemists, historians, doctors, artists, etc.)
• Uses scholarly or technical language
• Tend to be longer articles about research
• Include full citations for sources 
• Are often refereed or peer reviewed (articles are reviewed by an editor and other specialists before being accepted for publication)
• Publications may include book reviews and editorials which are not considered scholarly articles

Trade Publications Neither scholarly or popular sources, but could be a combination of both. Allows practitioners in specific industries to share market and production information that improves their businesses.

• Not peer reviewed. Usually written by people in the field or with subject expertise
• Shorter articles that are practical
• Provides information about current events and trends 

What might you find in a scholarly article?

• Title:  what the article is about
• Authors and affiliations:  the writer of the article and the professional affiliations. The credentials may appear below the name or in a footnote.
• Abstract: brief summary of the article. Gives you a general understanding  before you read the whole thing.
• Introduction: general overview of the research topic or problem
• Literature Review: what others have found on the same topic
• Methods:  information about how the authors conducted their research
• Results: key findings of the author's research
• Discussion/Conclusion: summary of the results or findings
• References: Citations to publications by other authors mentioned in the article
• Anatomy of a Scholarly Article This tutorial from the NCSU Libraries provides an interactive module for learning about the unique structure and elements of many scholarly articles.

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Q. How can I tell if an article is peer reviewed?

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Answered By: Georgiana Grant Last Updated: Jan 04, 2024     Views: 29161

Peer Reviewed Articles go through a process in which experts in the field (the author's peers) verify that the information and research methods are up to standards.  Peer reviewed articles are usually research articles or literature reviews and have certain characteristics in common.  This page has an overview on how to identify peer reviewed articles:  Recognize a scholarly/peer-reviewed article . 

The journal publisher's website

If you are unsure whether or not an article is peer reviewed, you must look at the journal rather than the article. One of the best places to find out if a journal is peer-reviewed is the journal website.  Most publications have a journal website that includes information for authors about the publication process.   If you find the journal website, look for the link that says information for authors, instructions for authors, guidelines for authors or something similar.  On this page is information about whether the articles are peer reviewed.

Article found in a library database

In an Ebsco database, you will look at the detailed record of the article (you will see this when you click on the title of a search result). Then click on the Source (the name of the publication):

You will then see information about the specific journal. The last item on the list will be a simple yes or no to your question: 

Other databases may provide the same information using different words or visual cues. If you are still unsure, please give us a call, chat with us, or send us an email and a Research Librarian can help you.

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Peer reviewed articles are written by recognized experts, show attention to detail, often include footnotes or bibliographies, identifying the source of material.  “Refereed” means that the article was evaluated and either accepted or rejected by a scholarly editorial board or panel of experts before publication . Use the e-resourc e  Ulrichsweb: Global Serials Directory .  When you retrieve information for each title, check the 11th item " Refereed."  If it says "yes," the journal is peer-reviewed.

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What is Peer Review?

If an article is peer reviewed , it was reviewed by scholars who are experts in related academic or professional fields before it was published. Those scholars assessed the quality of the article's research, as well as its overall contribution to the literature in their field. 

When we talk about peer-reviewed journals , we're referring to journals that use a peer-review process.

Related terms you might hear include: 

• Academic: Intended for academic use, or an academic audience. 
• Scholarly:  Intended for scholarly use, or a scholarly audience. 
• Refereed: Refers to a specific kind of peer-review process. 

National University Library System. (2018). "Find Articles: How to Find Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Articles". Retrieved from: http://nu.libguides.com/articles/PR.

How Peer Review Works

 Here's how it typically works:

• Submission : An author submits their research paper or article to a scholarly journal for publication consideration.
• Editorial Assessment : The journal's editor(s) review the submission to determine if it meets the journal's scope, standards, and criteria for publication. They may reject it outright if it doesn't meet these criteria.
• Peer Review : If the submission passes the initial editorial assessment, it is sent out to experts in the field, known as "peers" or "referees," for thorough evaluation. These experts are typically researchers or scholars who have expertise in the subject matter of the submitted work but are not directly affiliated with the author.
• Peer Feedback : The peer reviewers carefully examine the submission for its originality, significance, methodology, accuracy, and overall quality. They provide detailed feedback, critiques, and suggestions for improvement to the journal's editor(s).
• Editorial Decision : Based on the feedback from the peer reviewers, the editor(s) make a decision on whether to accept the submission for publication, request revisions from the author(s) to address specific concerns, or reject it if it does not meet the journal's standards.
• Revision and Resubmission (if applicable): If revisions are requested, the author(s) revise their work in response to the reviewers' feedback and resubmit it to the journal. The revised version may undergo further rounds of peer review until it meets the journal's requirements.
• Publication : Once the submission has successfully passed peer review and any necessary revisions, it is accepted for publication and included in the journal's forthcoming issue.

Peer review serves as a critical checkpoint in the academic publishing process, helping to ensure that only high-quality, rigorously researched, and credible scholarly work is disseminated to the academic community and the public. It helps to uphold standards of academic integrity, accuracy, and reliability.

How Do I Know If a Journal is Peer-Reviewed?

The easiest way to find out if a journal is peer-reviewed is to search for the title in a serials directory like UlrichsWeb:

• UlrichsWeb Global Serials Directory Includes in each record: ISBN, title, publisher, country of publication, status (Active, ceased, etc.), start year, frequency, refereed (Yes/No), media, language, price, subject, Dewey #, circulation, editor(s), email, URL, brief description Also known as: Ulrichs

How to Use Ulrichs

1. Type the name of the journal in the search bar and click the search button. NOTE : you need to use the full name of the journal, not an abbreviation.

2. Locate the journal in the results list. You may see multiple entries for one journal because Ulrichs lists print, electronic, and international version separately.​​​​​​​

Other Techniques for Determining Peer Review Status

Determining whether an article has been peer-reviewed without a service like Ulrichs typically involves a few steps:

• Journal Reputation: Look at the journal where the article is published. Reputable academic journals usually have a peer-review process in place. Check the journal's website or databases like PubMed, Scopus, or Web of Science to see if it's peer-reviewed.
• Article Information: Sometimes, journals explicitly state whether articles undergo peer review. This information can usually be found on the journal's website, alongside other details about submission and publication processes.
• Author Guidelines: Journals often provide authors with guidelines that include information about the peer-review process. Authors are usually instructed to submit their work for peer review as part of the publication process.
• Editorial Policies: Review the journal's editorial policies. Peer-reviewed journals typically have detailed descriptions of their review processes, including how they select reviewers, criteria for acceptance, and timelines for review.
• Check the Article Itself: While this is not always conclusive, some peer-reviewed articles will include a statement indicating that the article has undergone peer review. Look for phrases like "peer-reviewed" and "refereed."
• Indexing Databases: Many indexing databases only include peer-reviewed journals in their listings. If you find the article indexed in databases like PubMed, you can generally assume it has been peer-reviewed.

Remember that while these methods can help you determine whether an article has undergone peer review, it's always good practice to critically evaluate the content of the article regardless of its peer-review status.

How Do I Know If an Article is Peer-Reviewed?

Even if an article was published in a peer-reviewed journal, it may not necessarily be peer-reviewed itself; for example, a commentary article may undergo editorial review instead, meaning it was only reviewed by the journal editor.

There are some clues you can look for to help you identify if an article is peer-reviewed:

• Does the abstract discuss the author's/authors' research process?
• Does the abstract include a variation of the phrase "This study..."?
• Is there a Methodology or Data header in the text of the article?
• Does the paper discuss related research in a literature review?
• Is there an analysis of a need for further research, or gaps in the literature?
• Are the references for scholarly articles and books?

If an article published in a verified peer-reviewed journal includes these elements, it is most likely a peer-reviewed article.

• National University Library: Scholarly Checklist Use this printable checklist to help you identify scholarly, research-based articles

Identifying Peer Reviewed Materials in Scholarly Databases

Peer reviewed material in pubmed and medline.

Good news! Most of the journals in Medline and PubMed are peer reviewed.  Generally speaking, if you find a journal citation in Medline and PubMed you should be just fine. However, there is no way to limit your results within PubMed or the Medline EBSCO interface to knock out the few publications that are not considered refereed titles.

However, EBSCO (a third-party vendor) does provide a list of all titles within Medline and lets you see which titles are considered peer reviewed. You can check if your journal is OK - see the "Peer Review" tab in the report below to see the very small list of titles that don't make the cut.

• Medline: List of Full-Text Journals These journals cover a wide range of subjects within the biomedical and health fields containing information needed by doctors, nurses, health professionals, and researchers engaged in clinical care, public health, and health policy development. Information on peer-reviewed status available within table of titles.

Peer Reviewed Material in CINAHL & PsycINFO

In CINAHL and PsycINFO, there is a "Peer Reviewed" box in the advanced search, which allows you to limit your search results to those that have been identified as peer reviewed.

• View the Title List for CINAHL Complete This page links to the full title list for CINAHL Complete in both Excel and HTML formats.
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Peer Review: An Introduction: Where to Find Peer Reviewed Sources

• Why not just use Google or Wikipedia?
• Where to Find Peer Reviewed Sources
• Where to Get More Help

Need More Help?

Have more questions? Contact Scholarly Communication and Publishing at [email protected]   for more information and guidance.

Ask a Librarian

The Ask a Librarian service for general reference is available during all of the hours when the Main Library is open. Visit the  Ask a Librarian  page to chat with a librarian.

Why is it so hard to find Peer-Reviewed Sources?

It isn't hard to find peer-reviewed sources: you just need to know where to look!  If you start in the right place, you can usually find a relevant, peer-reviewed source for your research in as few clicks as a Google search, and you can even use many of the search techniques you use in Google and Wikipedia.

The easiest way to find a peer-reviewed article is by using one of the Library's numerous databases. All of the Library's databases are listed in the Online Journals and Databases index. The databases are divided by name and discipline.

Departmental libraries and library subject guides have created subject-focused lists of electronic and print research resources that are useful for their disciplines. You can search the library directory  for links to the departmental libraries at the University of Illinois Library, or search library websites by college  if you're not sure which departmental library serves your subject.

Peer-Reviewed Resources for Disciplinary Topics

There are numerous print and digital resources for specific disciplines, areas of study, and specialist fields.  To find research resources and databases for your area, consult the comprehensive directory of LibGuides , the websites of specialist libraries, and above all, contact a librarian for help !

Here are a few major databases for finding peer-reviewed research sources in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences:

• MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window Indexes critical materials on literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore. Proved access to citations from worldwide publications, including periodicals, books, essay collections, working papers, proceedings, dissertations and bibliographies. Use MLA International Bibliography in the NEW EBSCO user interface . more... less... Alternate Access Link
• Web of Science (Core Collection) This link opens in a new window Web of Science indexes core journal articles, conference proceedings, data sets, and other resources in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.

A scholarly, multidisciplinary database providing indexing and abstracts for over 10,000 publications, including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, and others. Also includes full-text access to over 5,000 journals. Offers coverage of many areas of academic study including: archaeology, area studies, astronomy, biology, chemistry, civil engineering, electrical engineering, ethnic & multicultural studies, food science & technology, general science, geography, geology, law, mathematics, mechanical engineering, music, physics, psychology, religion & theology, women's studies, and other fields. 

Alternate Access Link  

• IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new window Provides full-text access to IEEE transactions, IEEE and IEE journals, magazines, and conference proceedings published since 1988, and all current IEEE standards; brings additional search and access features to IEEE/IEE digital library users. Browsable by books & e-books, conference publications, education and learning, journals and magazines, standards and by topic. Also provides links to IEEE standards, IEEE spectrum and other sites.
• Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database including peer-reviewed titles from international publishers, Open Access journals, conference proceedings, trade publications and quality web sources. Subject coverage includes: Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Engineering; Life and Health Sciences; Social Sciences, Psychology and Economics; Biological, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
• Business Source Ultimate This link opens in a new window Provides bibliographic and full text content, including indexing and abstracts for scholarly business journals back as far as 1886 and full text journal articles in all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. The database full text content includes financial data, books, monographs, major reference works, book digests, conference proceedings, case studies, investment research reports, industry reports, market research reports, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses and more. Use Business Source Ultimate in the NEW EBSCO user interface . more... less... Alternate Access Link
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• Last Updated: Jun 20, 2024 1:47 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.illinois.edu/peerreview

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I do not know if this article is scholarly or peer-reviewed

Scholarly articles (also known as  academic articles ) are written by experts in a discipline for other experts in that field. They're usually published by a professional association or academic press. Their content focuses on research, has citations (like a bibliography or footnotes), and are professional in appearance with no spelling or grammatical errors, advertisements, or unrelated images.

Some scholarly articles go a bit further to be peer-reviewed . All peer-reviewed articles are scholarly articles, but not all scholarly articles are peer-reviewed.

NOTE : An article can be from a peer reviewed journal and not actually be peer reviewed. Editorials, news items, and book reviews do not necessarily go through the same review process. A peer reviewed article should be longer than just a couple of pages and include a bibliography.

There are several ways to determine whether or not an article is peer reviewed  (also called  refereed ).

 1 .  If you found the article using OneSearch , it will have a peer-reviewed icon:

2.  If you found the article in a library database, there may be some indicator as to whether the article is peer reviewed.

3.  In the library databases, you might find that the journal name is a hyperlink as shown below. Clicking on it takes you to a page about the journal which should make it clear whether the journal is scholarly, academic, peer reviewed, or refereed.

4.  You can look up the journal name in the library database called Ulrichs Web: Global Serials Directory   (previously called Ulrichs Periodical Directory). Search for the journal title and find the correct entry in the results list. There may be multiple versions of the same journal--print, online, and microfilm formats--but there also may be two different journals with the same title.

Look to left of the title, and if you find a referee shirt icon , that means that the journal is peer-reviewed or refereed.  

5.  The publisher's website for the journal should indicate whether articles go through a peer review process. Find the instructions for authors page for this information.

• University of Michigan Library
• Research Guides

The Library Research Process, Step-by-Step

• Finding Articles
• Finding & Exploring a Topic
• Finding Books
• Evaluating Sources
• Reading Scholarly Articles
• Understanding & Using a Citation Style

Peer Reviewed and Scholarly Articles

What are they? Peer-reviewed articles, also known as scholarly or refereed articles are papers that describe a research study. 

Why are peer-reviewed articles useful? They report on original research that have been reviewed by other experts before they are accepted for publication, so you can reasonably be assured that they contain valid information. 

How do you find them?  Many of the library's databases contain scholarly articles! You'll find more about searching databases below.

Watch: Peer Review in 3 Minutes

Why watch this video?

We are often told that scholarly and peer-reviewed sources are the most credible, but, it's sometimes hard to understand why they are credible and why we should trust these sources more than others. This video takes an in depth approach at explaining the peer review process. 

Hot Tip: Check out the Reading Scholarly Articles page for guidance on how to read and understand a scholarly article.

Using Library Databases

What Are Library Databases? 

Databases are similar to search engines but primarily search scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers and other sources. Some databases are subject specific while others are multi-disciplinary (searching across multiple fields and content types). 

You can view our most popularly used databases on the Library's Home Page , or view a list of all of our databases organized by subject or alphabetically at  U-M Library Databases .

Popular Multidisciplinary Databases

Many students use ProQuest , JSTOR , and Google Scholar for their initial search needs. These are multi-disciplinary and not subject-specific, and they can supply a very large number of  search results.

Subject-Specific Databases

Some popular subject-specific databases include PsycINFO for psychology and psychiatry related topics and  PubMed for health sciences topics. 

Why Should You Use Library Databases?

Unlike a Google search, the Library Databases will grant you access to high quality credible sources. 

The sources you'll find in library databases include:

• Scholarly journal articles
• Newspaper articles
• Theses & dissertations
• Empirical evidence

Database Filters & Limits Most databases have Filters/Limits. You can use these to narrow down your search to the specific dates, article type, or population that you are researching.

Here is an example of limits in a database, all databases look slightly different but most have these options:

Keywords and Starting a Search

What are Keywords?

• Natural language words that describe your topic 
• Allows for a more flexible search - looks for anywhere the words appear in the record
• Can lead to a broader search, but may yield irrelevant results

Keyword searching  is how we normally start a search. Pull out important words or phrases from your topic to find your keywords.

Tips for Searching with Keywords:

• Example: "climate change"
• Example:  "climate change" AND policy
• Example: comput* will return all words starting with four letters; computing, computer, compute, etc.  
• Example: wom?n will find both woman and women.

What are Subject Headings?

• Pre-defined "controlled vocabulary" that describe what an item is  about 
• Makes for a less flexible search - only the subject fields will be searched
• Targeted search; results are usually more relevant to the topic, but may miss some variations

Subject Terms and/or Headings are pre-defined terms that are used to describe the content of an item. These terms are a controlled vocabulary and function similarly to hashtags on social media. Look carefully at the results from your search. If you find an article that is relevant to the topic you want to write about, take a look at the subject headings. 

Hot Tip: Make a copy of this Google Doc to help you find and develop your topic's keywords.

More Database Recommendations

Need articles for your library research project, but not sure where to start? We recommend these top ten article databases for kicking off your research. If you can't find what you need searching in one of these top ten databases, browse the list of all library databases by subject (academic discipline) or title .

• U-M Library Articles Search This link opens in a new window Use Articles Search to locate scholarly and popular articles, as well as reference works and materials from open access archives.
• ABI/INFORM Global This link opens in a new window Indexes 3,000+ business-related periodicals (with full text for 2,000+), including Wall Street Journal.
• Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window Provides indexing for over 8,000 scholarly journals, industry periodicals, general interest magazines and newspapers.
• Access World News [NewsBank] This link opens in a new window Full text of 600+ U.S. newspapers and 260+ English-language newspapers from other countries worldwide.
• CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window Noted for its in-depth, unbiased coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy.
• Gale Health and Wellness This link opens in a new window
• Humanities Abstracts (with Full Text) This link opens in a new window Covers 700 periodicals in art, film, journalism, linguistics, music, performing arts, philosophy, religion, history, literature, etc.
• JSTOR This link opens in a new window Full-text access to the archives of 2,600+ journals and 35,000+ books in the arts, humanities, social sciences and sciences.
• ProQuest Research Library This link opens in a new window Indexes over 5,000 journals and magazines, academic and popular, with full text included for over 3,600.
• PsycInfo (APA) This link opens in a new window Premier resource for surveying the literature of psychology and adjunct fields. Covers 1887-present. Produced by the APA.

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How to Know if an Article Is Peer Reviewed

Last Updated: May 16, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Shweta Sharma . Shweta Sharma is a Biologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With nearly ten years of experience, she specializes in insect management, integrated pest management, insect behavior, resistance management, ecology, and biological control. She earned her PhD in Urban Entomology and her MS in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida. She also holds a BS in Agriculture from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Nepal. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 70,172 times.

For an academic article to be peer-reviewed, journal editors send the article to researchers and scholars in the same field. The reviewers examine the article's research, data, and conclusions, and decide if the article deserves to be published. Peer-reviewed journal articles are more reliable, and should be your go-to for academic research. To determine if an article is peer-reviewed, you can look up the journal in an online database or search the journal's website.

Looking up the Journal in an Online Database

• If you found your article in a catalog, the journal name will be listed there.

• Some databases you can try are Academic Search Premiere, AcademicOneFile, or Ulrich's Periodical Directory.
• If you're not a student, check if your local library provides access. Some cities, counties, and states have libraries that buy access to databases. [3] X Research source

• Another word that is sometimes used is “refereed,” which means the same thing as peer-reviewed.

Finding out from the Journal Website

• If your article is in a paper journal, you can simply check the cover.
• If the article is from a newspaper or a blog, it's not an academic article!

• Peer review is also called “blind peer review,” “scholarly peer review,” and “refereed.” [8] X Research source
• Look for pages with titles like, “about us,” “submission guidelines,” and “editorial policies.”

Expert Q&A

• Dissertations aren't considered peer reviewed, because they are still student work. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about caring for insects, check out our in-depth interview with Shweta Sharma .

• ↑ https://www.angelo.edu/library/handouts/peerrev.php
• ↑ https://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/c.php?g=285842&p=1906145
• ↑ https://medium.com/a-wikipedia-librarian/youre-a-researcher-without-a-library-what-do-you-do-6811a30373cd
• ↑ https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/peer-review
• ↑ https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/how-to-find/peer-reviewed-articles/check
• ↑ https://bowvalleycollege.libguides.com/c.php?g=10229&p=52137
• ↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/verifypeerreview

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PSYC 210: Foundations of Psychology

Need books or articles we do not own, curious about peer review.

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Here are additional databases which contain research articles covering topics related to Psychology

Access to the full text journals in Business, Communication, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science, Technology and Medicine.

• ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window Access to peer-reviewed scientific, technical and medical journals.

Multidisciplinary collection of online resources covering life, health and physical sciences, social science, and the humanities.

• Taylor & Francis Social Science & Humanities Library This link opens in a new window Access to peer reviewed journals covering Behavioral Science; Education; Business, Management & Economics; Media, Cultural & Communication Studies; Politics, International Relations; Sociology; Sport, Leisure & Tourism.

If you find any articles, books, or book chapters you would like to read but cannot access through the Pepperdine Libraries you can make a request to ask other libraries to send it to you. To request something, either locate it using the library search and click the request button on the item page or fill out the form manually following this link:  https://pepperdine.account.worldcat.org/account/requests/

You can learn more about interlibrary loan through this guide here:  https://infoguides.pepperdine.edu/interlibraryloan

Peer Review is a process by which scholarly work or research (often articles) are subjected to evaluation by other experts on the topic. Reviewers judge the work by its originality, accuracy of information, importance to the field, research methodology, and other criteria to determine if it is worthy of publication. Peer Review is also sometimes called "refereed".

Scholarly is a broader category, that includes  peer review and review by editors who are experts in the subject. Both are very different from regular magazine articles which are usually reviewed by a professional editor who isn't an expert in the subject.

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Announcing the New Peer Review Framework for Research Project Grant and Fellowship Applications Submitted to the National Institutes of Health

• Peer Review
• Funding and Grants

Essential Science Conversations

• Slides (PDF, 1MB)
• Transcript (PDF, 96KB)

Have you heard about the initiative at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to improve the peer review of research project grant and fellowship applications? Join us as NIH describes the steps the agency is taking to simplify its process of assessing the scientific and technical merit of applications, better identify promising scientists for training opportunities, and mitigate elements that have the potential to introduce bias in review.

This program does not offer CE credit.

Valerie Durrant, PhD

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Most databases and resources used in research do not function like the search engines we're used to in our daily life.  Use the following tips to create your searches, but if you're not finding what you need, don't hesitate to ask your librarian, Kelsey Cheshire .

Best Bets for Peer-Reviewed Social Work Articles

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