What is a Peer Reviewed Journal?
One of the main characteristics of scholarly journals is the process of peer review. Research articles under consideration for publication in a scholarly journal are sent to experts in the subject field (peers) for evaluation and comment (review).
- Peer Review in 5 MinutesThis video tutorial created by North Carolina State University covers: how peer-reviewed articles are different from other types of publications; how peer-reviewed articles are tied to teaching and learning activities on college campuses; and where to go for help in finding peer-reviewed articles.
Types of Journals
Scholarly Journals |
Professional Trade Journals |
Newsstand Magazines |
|
|
Audience |
Researchers and experts |
Members of the Trade/Profession |
General Public |
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Authors |
Researchers and experts |
Staff writers and members of the profession |
Staff writers, articles often written by groups, sometimes corporations |
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Bibliography |
Always. Plus footnotes or endnotes; suggested resources for more information |
Sometimes a brief bibliography, variable by profession, no footnotes or endnotes |
Almost never |
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Publisher |
Publishers of scholary journals, a university press, or a professional association |
Typically associations or commercial groups |
Typically commercial |
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Language |
Formal or semiformal scholarly language; may use jargon or technical terms that assum expertise in the field |
Informal; may use technical or specialized jargon |
Informal; written at or below the reading level of average high school students |
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Content |
Research reports and commentary |
Trends, new technologies, workplace standards in the field |
General interest and news |
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Purpose |
To disseminate findings from original research or experiments |
To advance profession by covering issues and topics in the field |
To inform and entertain |
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Reliability |
Good - the articles undergo blind reviews by other scholars |
Average - articles undergo reviews, but articles are sometimes biased to support industry/vendors |
Average to Fair - deadlines mean content review is limited, stories sometimes come from "third parties" where review is very difficult |
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Find E-Journals
PubMed's Journal Database will find the full journal title for a journal abbreviation.
Find Print Journals
In the Library:
- Search the Libraries' Catalog to find a journal.
- Journals in HSL are arranged alphabetically by title.
- Journal volumes published after 1990 are on the 4th floor in the HSL; older volumes are in the basement.
Outside the Library:
- Use Interlibrary Loan Services to get any article emailed to you whether HSL owns it or does not.
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