Peer review refers to using experts from the same subject field or profession as the author to evaluate a manuscript prior to its acceptance for publication in a scholarly or academic journal. Peer-reviewed journals also are called refereed journals.
Most research databases that include journal content have a limiter for peer-reviewed content, although how it looks may vary slightly from one resource to another.
Examples of peer-review limiters:
Because peer-reviewed journals may include editorials, book reviews, or other brief items, examine a retrieved article for clues that it is scholarly in nature:
- Does it report on a research study, or does it provide new analysis on a topic, theory, or literary or artistic work?
- Does it contain references (a bibliography of cited works)?
- Is it more than a few pages long?
- How does the author support his or her claims -- are they well documented with good evidence?
If in doubt about whether an article meets requirements for an assignment, always check with your professor.