COM 1010

"Peer Review" is a process used to assess articles before publication in a scholarly journal. This process is important because it validates the research and gives it a sort of "seal of approval" from others in the research community.

Peer Review Process

1. Author submits a research paper

2. Journal Editor sends the article to at least two other researchers or scholars (in the same discipline) for review

3. Reviewers determine if the article should be published based on the quality of the research, including:

• Validity of the data
• Conclusions drawn by the author
• Originality of the research

4. Author implements changes and resubmits the article

5. Article is published by the scholarly journal

• Check if the journal uses peer-review.
• Look for clues!
  • ~10 or more pages long
  • Includes a works cited, bibliography, or references list
  • Formal appearance (sometimes including tables, graphs, diagrams, charts, etc.)
  • Abstract or summary above the article
  • Specific/narrow subject focus
  • Uses specialized terms or jargon relevant to the subject
  • Written by expert or someone with authority on the topic (for example, a professor at a university or someone with a PhD in that field)
• Some articles in peer-reviewed journals MAY NOT BE peer-reviewed, such as:
  • Introduction to the issue
  • Letters to the editor
  • Opinion or Editorial articles
  • Book Reviews

In a library database, click the journal name to see more information about the publication:

ProQuest

EBSCO

Gale

Journal Website

On the journal's website, find the page with information for authors and check if the journal requires:

• a multiple-copy submission
• an abstract
• literature review
• methodology
• results
• conclusion
• references/bibliography/works cited