Answered By: RaNae Vaughn
Last Updated: Oct 06, 2014     Views: 123

A peer-reviewed article is one that is published in a refereed or scholarly journal.  These journals differ from a popular magazine such as Time or Newsweek in several ways.  There is not really a basic definition; however, a peer-reviewed journal has the following characteristics:

  • Abstracts (or article summaries) are usually found on the first page of the article.
  • The article is usually written by an expert in the field, i.e., professor, researcher.
  • Many times the article will have footnotes and/or a bibliography.
  • Articles are often longer and contain a detailed analysis of a specific topic.
  • Very few advertisements are in the journal.
  • The journal is usually published monthly or quarterly.
  • Articles are generally reviewed by an editorial board of outside scholars before they are published.

Many of the databases for which Collier Library subcribes has a small box that can be checked to request only peer-reviewed articles.  This box will be near or adjacent to the box that requests only full-text articles.

Some examples of peer-reviewed journals are:

  • Journal of Historical Geography
  • Modern Philogy
  • Criminology
  • Journal of the American Medical Association

 

 

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