Q. What is a scholarly or peer-reviewed article, and how do I find them?

A peer-reviewed article is an article that has been subjected to the analysis and scrutiny of qualified professionals before publication. Because of this review process, these articles are often preferred as references in academic research papers.

Peer-reviewed articles are always scholarly, but not all scholarly articles are peer-reviewed.

Watch out for opinion pieces. Some scholarly journals include editorials or other opinion-based content such as Letters to the Editor. You can often identify these works by their use of first person (I, my, etc.). Even if these are marked as 'peer-reviewed', they really aren't, so it's best not to rely on them for your paper. 

Where do I start looking?

You have a few places to start when finding peer-reviewed articles:

• The library search box
  • Library search will also let you limit your results to peer-reviewed articles in addition to other options.
    • Perform a search
    • On your results page under the Availability heading select 'Peer-Reviewed Journals'. Look for the Peer-reviewed icon beneath the article description in your library search results.
      
       
• Databases
  • Databases will give you the option to limit your search to peer-reviewed and scholarly articles.
    • Look for check boxes with this option within each database (you may need to go into the "Advanced Search"). 
      Not sure which database to start with? Our subject guides offer recommendations.

Still not sure if your article is peer-reviewed? Check the journal/publisher website. Often they will tell you if the journal is scholarly or peer-reviewed.