What is a Peer-Reviewed Journal?

Most scholarly journals are peer-reviewed (or refereed) publications, which means articles in them must be evaluated and approved by a panel of experts before they can be published. Unlike articles in popular magazines or newspapers, which are mainly written by reporters for a general audience, articles in peer-reviewed journals are written by scholars or researchers for specialists or students in particular fields of study. Peer-reviewed journal articles are usually more in-depth in their coverage of a topic and cite sources used (footnotes, references lists, etc.). These articles have higher quality academic information than articles from magazines, newspapers, or information found on ordinary Web pages. Examples of peer-reviewed journals include:

• JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association
• Journal of Accountancy
• Journal of Animal Science
• Rural Sociology

Finding Articles in Peer-Reviewed Journals

Many indexes and article databases allow you to limit your search to articles appearing in peer-reviewed journals only. Two general databases that have peer-reviewed limits are:

• Proquest: Use the check box to "Show articles from peer-reviewed publications only" on the search screen to limit your search to articles from peer-reviewed journals only. To see this screen, click on the thumbnail image below:
  
  You can search for articles in the PA Research II-Peer Reviewed collection which includes many, but not all, of the peer-reviewed journals available in ProQuest.
  
  
• Academic Search Elite: To find articles from peer-reviewed journals, use the Peer-Reviewed check box in the "Refine Search" tab below the search boxes. To see this screen, click on the thumbnail image below:
  

Most subject-specific library databases include many articles from peer-reviewed journals and other academic or specialized publications. To find a subject-specific library database, consult the Subject List of Electronic Indexes and Databases. Ask a reference librarian for assistance in finding peer-reviewed journal articles in different databases.

If you want to know if a particular publication is a peer-reviewed journal, you can check Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory in the General Reference Area, 1st floor (call number 016.05 U45) or online. This directory has a list of "refereed serials" or peer-reviewed journals in the 5th volume of the set. If in doubt about a specific publication, ask a reference librarian.

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