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Peer-Reviewed & Scholarly Publications

This guide provides resources to find and identify peer-reviewed and scholarly journal articles.
Library Databases
  • Provide access to lots of peer-reviewed sources 

  • Include background information about sources to help you determine if it is peer-reviewed 

  • Options to limit search to Peer-Reviewed Journals

    • NOTE: Some articles (introductions, editorials, letters to the editor, and book reviews) in peer-reviewed journals aren’t necessarily peer-reviewed!

Google or Google Scholar
  • May not provide access to the full text of an article 

  • Pay wall (may require you to pay to view an article) 

  • Results include many types of sources (journal articles, blog posts, news articles, websites), without clear labels

Access Databases

How can I tell if a JOURNAL uses peer review?

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

ProQuest

Screenshot of The Journal of Higher Education page on ProQuest

EBSCO

Screenshot of Teaching in Higher Education journal page in EBSCO

Gale

Screenshot of The Literary Review page in 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

How can I tell if an ARTICLE is peer reviewed?

  • 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