Library FAQs

Peer reviewed and scholarly sources are closely related concepts, but they serve different functions.

Peer reviewed is a process where experts in a field evaluate a piece of academic work before it's published. Many journal articles are peer reviewed. This ensures the quality, accuracy, and validity of the research. See the video below. to learn more

Scholarly sources refer to academic publications like journal articles, books, and conference papers that are written by experts in a field and are intended for an academic audience. These sources typically involve original research, analysis, or in-depth exploration of a topic.

While most peer-reviewed publications are considered scholarly sources, not all scholarly sources undergo peer review. For instance, some academic books or conference proceedings may be considered scholarly but might not go through a formal peer review process.

How to find peer reviewed journal articles

Instructors often ask students to find and analyze peer reviewed journal articles in order to learn from original research or analysis.

In many library databases, you can limit results to peer reviewed articles. For instance, you can limit MavScholar results to peer reviewed journal articles by clicking Scholarly & Peer-reviewed under Refine Results.

What are characteristics of peer reviewed journal articles?

Peer reviewed journal articles often have these features:

Author(s) Information:

• Authors are affiliated with academic or research institutions.
• Their credentials and expertise in the field are listed.

Abstract:

• Peer reviewed articles include a concise summary of the content.

Layout:

• Sections for articles in the sciences and social science disciplines often include Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and References.
• Sections for articles in the art and humanities disciplines tend to include in-depth analysis of objects, socio-historical events, and/or text using disciplinary methodology or theories.

References and Citations:

• Ends with a detailed bibliography of other sources mentioned in the text. These sources connect the current article to previous scholarship on the same topic.

Submission Date and Revision History:

• Peer-reviewed articles often mention submission and revision dates, reflecting the review process.

Acknowledgement

Sections of this guide remixed content from The Peer Review Process guide from CSUDH Library under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.