How do I determine if an article is scholarly (peer reviewed)?
Peer review refers to the process by which researchers submit a paper they have written to a journal. The journal editor then sends the article to the author's peers (researchers and scholars) who are in the same discipline for review. The reviewers determine if the article should be published based on the quality of the research, including the validity of the data, the conclusions the authors' draw and the originality of the research.
You can search the title of a journal in the UlrichsWeb Serials Directory. Entries within the directory include whether or not a journal is peer reviewed (refereed).
Peer-reviewed articles are written by scholars, researchers, and experts in the field and are characterized by an academic tone and formal structure. You can identify scholarly (peer reviewed) articles by looking at the following:
Journal title - Look for journals known for scholarly content. They may sound like "Journal of...", "International Journal of...", "American Journal of..."
Authorship - Authors tend to be experts in the field who are affiliated with academic institutions and have degrees/credentials in the area of study.
Abstract - these types of articles often have a quick summary at the beginning showing their research, methodology, and findings.
References - scholarly articles provide a comprehensive list of references, allowing readers to verify the sources and explore related literature.
The Anatomy of a Scholarly Article guide shows the common sections and layout of a scholarly article.