Guides & Databases: Evaluating Information: Understanding Peer Review

Scholarly Sources

Sometimes called 'Peer-Reviewed' or 'Refereed' Journals

Contains articles presenting original research or events relating to a specific discipline.
Written by professors, researchers or professionals; credentials are usually stated in the article.
Mostly text supported by black and white figures, graphs, tables or charts; few advertisments.
Articles are usually evaluated by experts before publication (peer reviewed).
Bibliographies support research and point to further research on a topic.

Popular Sources

Popular Magazines Like Time, Newsweek

Articles about current events and popular culture, opinion pieces, self help tips, advertising.
Written by staff writers or freelancers; names and credentials often not stated.
Glossy, color photographs, easy to read layout, plenty of advertising.
Timely coverage of popular topics and current events.
Authors usually do not cite sources.

Trade Journal/Magazine

Sometimes Called 'Grey Literature' Because the Content is In-Between Popular & Scholarly

Articles about news, trends, best practices and products for a specific industry or profession.
Written by a professional in the field, sometimes a journalist with subject area expertise. Often published by a trade association.
Written for practitioners in a field who want to know news, trends and best practices for their specific industry or profession.
Timely coverage of industry trends.
Not peer reviewed, though author is usually a professional in the field.

What is Peer Review?

Authors who wish to publish their research submit the paper to an academic journal.

If the academic journal uses a peer review system then the journal editor sends the article to researchers and scholars who are in the same discipline as the author (the author's peers).

Their job is to review the paper in order to determine if it should be published as an article in the journal.

Why should I care about Peer Review?

Any paper that passes the peer-review process can be considered to have the highest level of academic credibility.

However you will still need to consider the other elements of the Who, Why, When, Where, How and What evaluation criteria. Using relevant and current peer reviewed journal articles to complete your assignments and projects strengthens your arguments.