Peer-Reviewed Literature
Peer-reviewed literature has gone through a rigorous quality control process intended to maximize the trustworthiness of the published information. Most peer-reviewed literature is published in journals, but papers presented at some conferences are also peer reviewed.
How peer review typically works:
- Author submits paper to the editor of an appropriate journal.
- If article is appropriate for the journal, the editor sends copies of paper to 3 experts on the topic. (The experts are called “peer reviewers”, or “referees”).
- The experts carefully critique the paper and return it to the editor.
- Before publication, the editor has the author(s) make changes in response to the peer reviewers’ critiques. (Or the editor rejects the paper).
Clues whether journal article is peer reviewed:
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- Contact information is given for the author(s)
- Article includes references (works cited)
To verify whether the journal is peer reviewed, check the journal's web site. If it is peer reviewed the publisher will say so in "about" and/or "instructions for authors."
Good sources of peer-reviewed literature:
Journal collection on the second floor of the Neil Hellman Library
All Knight Search--refine your results by limiting to Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals
databases linked from the Neil Hellman Library web page, including:
· EBSCOhost Academic Search—limit to “peer reviewed”
· PsycINFO
· SAGE Premier
· Science Direct
· JSTOR