James Madison University Libraries & Educational Technologies http://www.lib.jmu.edu

Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Journals 

(also called refereed journals)

Scholarly vs Popular

 

Scholarly articles are written by experts in the field and will include their credentials have bibliographies of works cited, and use specialized terminology of the field.
Popular works, such as magazine and newspaper articles, are written for the general public, avoid specialized terminology of the field, do not have bibliographies, and may be written by authors who have no expertise on the topic.

What is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal?

A peer-reviewed or refereed journal is one in which manuscripts submitted by authors are reviewed by experts on the topic before being accepted for publication in the journal.  This form of quality control is important to the scholarly process. 

How do I find peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles?

Look in Research Databases to find peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles.  Some databases make it easy.  Look for a check-box to limit or refine to "Peer Reviewed" or Scholarly. 

What if the article I need is not full-text?

• Check Periodical Locator to see if the journal that contains the article is
• In Current Periodicals (first floor)
• In Bound Journals (second floor)
• In the Microform Room (second floor)
• Online
• Order a copy through Interlibrary Loan if it is not available in the library or online.

I have an article, but I am not sure it is peer-reviewed.  How can I tell?

• First, look at the article and make sure it is scholarly and not a news article.

• Look up the journal in Periodical Locator and click on Title details from ulrichsweb.com™

• This link will indicate if the journal is “refereed.”

Jenne Klotz

Reviewed October, 2011