Characteristics of Peer-reviewed Articles
How to identify a peer-reviewed article
In order to verify whether an article is peer-reviewed, you need to check whether the journal in which the article is published is peer-reviewed. There are two ways figure out whether a journal is peer-reviewed:
1. Long Way — Search for the journal title on Google; go to the journal's website and search (Ctrl + F on Windows; Cmd + F on Mac) for the words peer review. Look on the website for information about the editorial policy, submission process or requirements for author’s submission. This section of the website will often give insight into whether or not the journal has a peer-review process.
2. Preferred Way — Go to Ulrich's Periodicals Directory and search for the journal title.
Steps to find journal titles in Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
1. Go to library.sjsu.edu
2. Click on Articles and Databases under Quick Links.
3. Search for 'Ulrich's periodicals'
4. Click on Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
5. Search for the journal title on Ulrich NOT the article title
6. Click on the journal title link
7. You should be looking for the word "Refereed" (another synonym for Peer-reviewed). If it says "Yes" to Refereed, it is peer-reviewed.
In Engineering trade journals/magazines are as important as scholarly articles. However, trade journals are not peer-reviewed, only scholarly journals are. The information in a peer-reviewed article is thorough and reliable but it takes a long time to get published. Trade journals provide brief information on discoveries, inventions, and updates.
Journal of Biotechnology
Biosensors Journal
Industry Week
IEEE Spectrum
Scientific American
New York Times
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Purpose
To inform and report on original research or experimentation
To provide news and updates to people in a particular industry or profession
To provide general information to a lay audience
To document new concepts and techniques, work in progress presented at a conference
Article Appearance
Articles are lengthy and structured into sections: abstracts, lit. review, method, architecture, results, conclusions, bibliography
Contains graphs, charts, photographs supporting the research
Photographs and illustrations used to support the article but also for aesthetic purposes to draw in readers
Articles are usually brief and do not follow a certain format
Photographs and illustrations used to support the article but also for aesthetic purposes to draw in readers
Articles are usually brief and do not follow a certain format
Articles are lengthy and structured into sections: abstracts, lit. review, method, architecture, results, conclusions, bibliography
Contains graphs, charts, photographs supporting the research
Adapted from Meriam Library, California State University, Chico
| Review Papers | Research Articles |
| A research article is a primary source...that is, it reports the methods and results of an original study performed by the authors. The kind of study may vary (it could have been an experiment, survey, interview, etc.), but in all cases, raw data have been collected and analyzed by the authors, and conclusions drawn from the results of that analysis. | A review article is a secondary source...it is written about other articles, and does not report original research of its own. Review articles are very important, as they draw upon the articles that they review to suggest new research directions, to strengthen support for existing theories and/or identify patterns among existing research studies. For student researchers, review articles provide a great overview of the existing literature on a topic. If you find a literature review that fits your topic, take a look at its references/works cited list for leads on other relevant articles and books! |
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Adapted from: LSU Libraries