PEER-REVIEW PROCESS

The peer-review or refereed process is used for most articles submitted for publication in scholarly journals.  The article is read by a panel of experts in that field who determine if the article should be accepted for publication, rejected, or revised.

Many library databases include a feature allowing you to limit your search to articles in peer-reviewed or refereed journals.  This feature should be used with some degree of caution so as not to eliminate articles, particularly in professional journals, that may be appropriate to your research.

WHAT IF I NEED A RESEARCH ARTICLE?

Examine the article for the following features:

author’s credentials footnotes and a bibliography a section labeled methodology where the author explains how the study was designed and conducted a report of the findings or results, often accompanied by graphs or tables author’s conclusions

The authors of a research article are the ones who actually conducted the original study or experiment.

A literature review, on the other hand, summarizes the important research on a particular topic.  These types of articles can prove very useful in identifying research articles.