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Library DIY


Self-help Guide for Navigating the Library

I do not know if this article is scholarly or peer-reviewed.

Peer-reviewed publications (sometimes referred to as scholarly, academic, or refereed) have gone through a review process by experts in the field before being published. These strategies can help you determine if an article is peer-reviewed.   

 

1. If you found the article in a library database, there may be some indicators of whether the article is scholarly. Most publications in "Academic Journals" have been peer reviewed. 

Note, however, that some articles in peer-reviewed journals may not actually be peer-reviewed: editorials, news items, and book reviews do not necessarily go through the same review process. A peer-reviewed article should be longer than just a couple of pages and should include a bibliography.

 

2. In many library databases, the journal title may be linked, as shown below. Clicking on it takes you to a page that may indicate whether the journal is scholarly, academic, peer-reviewed, or refereed.

 

 

3. The publisher's website for the journal should also indicate whether articles go through a peer review process. Find a page like "For Authors" to locate this information.