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Quick Facts

Written by experts
Certified by experts as academic quality writing
Can be found easily in many databases by using the peer review limiter on searches

Peer Reviewed Journals

What is a "peer reviewed journal" and why is it important?

Peer reviewed journals have an editorial board that certifies that the articles published in that journal are of academic quality. The primary audience for the articles is other experts in the field, and the reputations of both the journal and the articles' authors are at stake.

Unlike popular journals such as Time or Cosmopolitan which subsidize the cost of publication by selling advertizing, peer reviewed journals rely almost entirely on money from subscriptions to pay for publication. The cost for an annual subscription is much higher and only people with a serious interest in the subject will subscribe. If a journal consistently publishes poor quality articles, its readership will look for other sources of information.

For authors, the risk is equally high. Publication of articles is often a condition of employment for college professors. Those who fail to produce high quality work frequently find themselves looking for new jobs. There have been cases of authors who have published falsified research, but those who choose that route find their reputations and careers destroyed upon discovery.

Searching for peer reviewed journal articles

Finding peer reviewed journal articles can be difficult unless you know where to look. Most of the databases that are available through the "Find articles by subject..." section of the website allow you to limit searches so that they only provide results from peer reviewed journals. The feature is easier to find on some databases than others.

Look for a section of the database's search page that allows you to limit or refine your search.
The option to limit results to peer reviewed journals is usually a check box in that section.
It may also be an option on a pull down menu of publication types.
If you can't find it, look in the "help" section of the database's web site or ask a library staff member for help.


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