How to See if Something Is Peer Reviewed

How to recognize peer-reviewed (refereed) journals

In many cases professors will require that students utilise articles from "peer-reviewed" journals. Sometimes the phrases "refereed journals" or "scholarly journals" are used to describe the aforementioned type of journals. Merely what are peer-reviewed (or refereed or scholarly) journal articles, and why do faculty require their use?

Three categories of information resources:

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

Helpful hint!

Not all information in a peer-reviewed journal is actually refereed, or reviewed. For case, editorials, letters to the editor, book reviews, and other types of data don't count as articles, and may non be accepted by your professor.

How do you determine whether an article qualifies equally being a peer-reviewed periodical article?

First, you need to be able to identify which journals are peer-reviewed. At that place are generally four 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 yous may have to go to an "advanced" or "expert" search screen to do this. Call back, many databases do not let you lot to limit your search in this fashion.
2. Checking in the database Ulrichsweb.com to determine if the periodical is indicated as existence peer-reviewed.
   If y'all cannot limit your initial search to peer-reviewed journals, you will need to check to see if the source of an article is a peer-reviewed journal. This tin can be done past searching the database Ulrichsweb.com. Get to the alphabetical listing of databases and click on the "U". Select Ulrichsweb.com. It helps to type in the verbal title of the source periodical including any initial A, AN, or THE in the title. If y'all don't find the periodical y'all are interested in, you may want to use Method iii beneath. If your journal championship IS displayed, cheque to see if the journal is indicated as beingness refereed by having the symbol side by side to the title.
3. Examining the publication to encounter if it is peer-reviewed.
   If by using the first two methods you were unable to identify if a journal (and an commodity therein) is peer-reviewed, you may so need to examine the periodical physically or expect at additional pages of the journal online to determine if it is peer-reviewed. This method is not ever successful with resources available just online. The following steps are suggested:
   1. Locate the periodical in the Library or online, and then identify the most current unabridged year's problems.
   2. Locate the masthead of the publication. This often consists of a box towards either the front or the end of the journal, and contains publication information such every bit the editors of the journal, the publisher, the place of publication, the subscription price and similar information.
   3. Does the journal say that it is peer-reviewed? If so, you lot're washed! If not, motility on to footstep d.
   4. Bank check in and around the masthead to locate the method for submitting manufactures to the publication.  If you find information similar to "to submit articles, send three copies…", the journal is probably peer-reviewed. In this case, y'all 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 exist the instance, and then relying upon this criterion alone may bear witness inaccurate.
   5. If you lot do non run across this type of statement in the outset result of the periodical that you expect at, examine the remaining journals to see if this information is included. Sometimes publications volition include this information in only a single upshot a year.
   6. Is it scholarly, using technical terminology? Does the article format gauge the following - abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, and references? Are the articles written by scholarly researchers in the field that the periodical pertains to? Is advertizing 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 exist 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 non peer-reviewed.
4. Find the official web site on the internet, and check to meet if information technology states that the periodical is peer-reviewed. Be careful to employ the official site (oftentimes located at the journal publisher's web site), and, fifty-fifty so, information could potentially be "inaccurate."

Helpful hint!

If you lot take used the previous four methods in trying to decide if an article is from a peer-reviewed journal and are still unsure, speak to your instructor.

nelsonledis1950.blogspot.com

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

Share this post