How to Know if a Scientific Journal Is Peer Reviewed

How to recognize peer-reviewed (refereed) journals

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

Three categories of information resources:

• Newspapers and magazines containing news - Articles are written past reporters who may or may not be experts in the field of the article. Consequently, articles may contain incorrect information.
• Journals containing articles written by academics and/or professionals — Although the articles are written by "experts," any detail "skilful" may accept some ideas that are really "out in that location!"
• Peer-reviewed (refereed or scholarly) journals - Manufactures are written by experts and are reviewed by several other experts in the field earlier the article is published in the journal in club to ensure the article'south quality. (The article is more likely to be scientifically valid, reach reasonable conclusions, etc.) In most cases the reviewers practice not know who the author of the article is, so that the article succeeds or fails on its own merit, not the reputation of the proficient.

Helpful hint!

Non all information in a peer-reviewed journal is actually refereed, or reviewed. For example, editorials, letters to the editor, volume reviews, and other types of information don't count equally articles, and may non exist accustomed by your professor.

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

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

1. Limiting a database search to peer-reviewed journals just.
   Some databases let y'all to limit searches for articles to peer reviewed journals only. For example, Bookish Search Complete has this feature on the initial search screen - click on the pertinent box to limit the search. In some databases you lot may have to go to an "advanced" or "expert" search screen to do this. Remember, many databases do not let you to limit your search in this mode.
2. Checking in the database Ulrichsweb.com to determine if the journal is indicated as being peer-reviewed.
   If yous cannot limit your initial search to peer-reviewed journals, you will demand to check to see if the source of an commodity is a peer-reviewed journal. This tin exist done by searching the database Ulrichsweb.com. Go to the alphabetical listing of databases and click on the "U". Select Ulrichsweb.com. It helps to type in the verbal championship of the source journal including any initial A, AN, or THE in the championship. If you don't find the periodical you are interested in, you may desire to utilize Method 3 beneath. If your periodical title IS displayed, cheque to come across if the periodical is indicated as being refereed past having the symbol next to the title.
3. Examining the publication to see if it is peer-reviewed.
   If by using the first two methods you were unable to identify if a periodical (and an article therein) is peer-reviewed, you lot may and so need to examine the journal physically or expect at additional pages of the journal online to determine if it is peer-reviewed. This method is not always successful with resources available but online. The following steps are suggested:
   1. Locate the journal in the Library or online, then identify the most current entire twelvemonth's issues.
   2. Locate the masthead of the publication. This ofttimes consists of a box towards either the front end or the cease of the periodical, and contains publication information such every bit the editors of the journal, the publisher, the place of publication, the subscription cost and similar information.
   3. Does the journal say that it is peer-reviewed? If so, you're done! If not, movement on to step d.
   4. Check in and effectually the masthead to locate the method for submitting articles to the publication.  If you observe data like to "to submit manufactures, send three copies…", the journal is probably peer-reviewed. In this case, you are inferring that the publication is then going to ship the multiple copies of the article to the journal'southward reviewers. This may non ever be the case, so relying upon this criterion solitary may bear witness inaccurate.
   5. If y'all do non see this type of statement in the start effect of the journal that you look at, examine the remaining journals to see if this data is included. Sometimes publications will include this data in but a unmarried issue a year.
   6. Is information technology scholarly, using technical terminology? Does the article format approximate the following - abstract, literature review, methodology, results, decision, and references? Are the articles written by scholarly researchers in the field that the periodical pertains to? Is ad non-real, or kept to a minimum? Are in that location 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 benchmark of a multiple-copies submission requirement. If yous answered these questions no, the journal is probably non peer-reviewed.
4. Find the official web site on the net, and check to come across if information technology states that the journal is peer-reviewed. Be conscientious to apply the official site (often located at the journal publisher'due south web site), and, fifty-fifty then, information could potentially be "inaccurate."

Helpful hint!

If you have used the previous four methods in trying to determine if an article is from a peer-reviewed journal and are all the same unsure, speak to your instructor.

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

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