IWU OCLS Blog

What are Peer-Reviewed Articles and how do I Find Them?

What are Peer-Reviewed Articles, and how do I Find Them? 

For many assignments, you are required to use articles from peer-reviewed journals. Sometimes these journals are called refereed or scholarly journals. 

• Experts write Peer-reviewed articles.
• Then they are reviewed by several other experts in the field before the article is published to ensure its quality. In most cases, the reviewers do not know who the article’s author is, so the article succeeds or fails on its merit, not the expert’s reputation.
• The article is more likely to be scientifically valid and reach reasonable conclusions.

It is important to remember that not all information in a peer-reviewed journal is refereed or reviewed. For example, editorials, letters to the editor, book reviews, and other types of information don’t count as articles and may not meet your assignment requirements.

How do you determine whether an article qualifies as being a peer-reviewed journal article?

1. Limit your search to peer-reviewed articles. Most databases allow you to limit your search to peer-reviewed or scholarly journals only. When you search in OCLS QUICKsearch or other EBSCOhost databases, you can limit to Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Articles by checking the box under Limit To on the left side of the page. In some databases, like ProQuest databases, you may have to go to an advanced search screen to do this.                               


2. Find the official website on the internet - Locate the journal publisher's official website and check if it says that the journal is peer-reviewed. Remember that even this information could be inaccurate. 


3. Search the Ulrichsweb database - To make sure the journal your article is in is peer-reviewed, use the Ulrichsweb database. Start at the OCLS homepage. In the Find Your Database area, click on General. Look through the alphabetical list for Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory. In the search box, type in the journal’s exact title. Do not type the article's title. If your journal's title is displayed, double-check that it is the correct journal. If it is a peer-reviewed journal, it will have a referee jersey symbol next to the title.

If you need help making sure your article is peer-reviewed or have any questions about finding peer-reviewed articles for your paper, fill out the OCLS Request Form.