How to See if a Journal Is Peer Reviewed

How to recognize peer-reviewed (refereed) journals

In many cases professors volition require 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. Merely what are peer-reviewed (or refereed or scholarly) periodical articles, and why do kinesthesia require their utilise?

Three categories of data resource:

• Newspapers and magazines containing news - Articles are written by reporters who may or may non be experts in the field of the article. Consequently, articles may comprise incorrect information.
• Journals containing articles written by academics and/or professionals — Although the articles are written by "experts," any particular "expert" may have some ideas that are actually "out in that location!"
• Peer-reviewed (refereed or scholarly) journals - Articles are written by experts and are reviewed by several other experts in the field before the article is published in the journal in order to ensure the commodity'due south quality. (The commodity is more likely to be scientifically valid, reach reasonable conclusions, etc.) In about cases the reviewers practise not know who the author of the article is, then that the article succeeds or fails on its ain merit, not the reputation of the proficient.

Helpful hint!

Not all information in a peer-reviewed journal is really refereed, or reviewed. For example, editorials, letters to the editor, book reviews, and other types of information don't count as articles, and may not be accepted by your professor.

How exercise you determine whether an article qualifies as being a peer-reviewed periodical article?

First, yous demand to be able to identify which journals are peer-reviewed. At that place are generally four methods for doing this

1. Limiting a database search to peer-reviewed journals only.
   Some databases permit you to limit searches for articles to peer reviewed journals just. For example, Academic Search Complete has this feature on the initial search screen - click on the pertinent box to limit the search. In some databases yous may have to go to an "advanced" or "expert" search screen to practice this. Remember, many databases do non allow you to limit your search in this way.
2. Checking in the database Ulrichsweb.com to make up one's mind if the periodical is indicated every bit being peer-reviewed.
   If you cannot limit your initial search to peer-reviewed journals, you volition demand to check to run into if the source of an article is a peer-reviewed periodical. This can be 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 title of the source journal including any initial A, AN, or THE in the title. If y'all don't find the journal you are interested in, yous may want to use Method 3 beneath. If your journal title IS displayed, check to see if the journal is indicated as being refereed by having the symbol next to the title.
3. Examining the publication to come across if it is peer-reviewed.
   If by using the start ii methods you were unable to identify if a journal (and an article therein) is peer-reviewed, you may and then need to examine the journal physically or look at additional pages of the journal online to make up one's mind if it is peer-reviewed. This method is non always successful with resources available but online. The post-obit steps are suggested:
   1. Locate the periodical in the Library or online, then identify the almost electric current entire yr's issues.
   2. Locate the masthead of the publication. This oftentimes consists of a box towards either the front or the end of the periodical, and contains publication information such as the editors of the periodical, the publisher, the identify of publication, the subscription price and like information.
   3. Does the journal say that it is peer-reviewed? If and so, you're washed! If not, move on to step d.
   4. Check in and around the masthead to locate the method for submitting articles to the publication.  If you find information similar to "to submit articles, send 3 copies…", the journal is probably peer-reviewed. In this case, you are inferring that the publication is and so going to send the multiple copies of the article to the periodical's reviewers. This may non always be the example, and then relying upon this benchmark lone may prove inaccurate.
   5. If you do not see this blazon of statement in the commencement issue of the journal that yous look at, examine the remaining journals to meet if this data is included. Sometimes publications volition include this information in only a single issue a year.
   6. Is information technology scholarly, using technical terminology? Does the article format gauge the following - abstruse, literature review, methodology, results, determination, and references? Are the articles written by scholarly researchers in the field that the periodical pertains to? Is advertising not-real, or kept to a minimum? Are there references listed in footnotes or bibliographies? If you lot answered yeah to all these questions , the journal may very well exist peer-reviewed. This determination would be strengthened by having met the previous criterion of a multiple-copies submission requirement. If you answered these questions no, the journal is probably not peer-reviewed.
4. Discover the official web site on the internet, and check to run across if it states that the periodical is peer-reviewed. Be careful to utilise the official site (often located at the journal publisher's web site), and, fifty-fifty then, data could potentially be "inaccurate."

Helpful hint!

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

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

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