Peer-reviewed, scholarly sources
Scholarly journals are published by scholars--people who have the highest college degree in their field--for other scholars to read. Before the article is published, it undergoes a process of peer-review, during which *other* scholar specialists (the author's peers) review the article and make suggestions for improvement. It's a strenuous process, so when something is published in a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal, it is considered by college professors to be extremely reliable. Watch this short video that describes the peer-review process.
Here are some clues/characteristics of peer-reviewed articles...
- They are very long in page number, often 5-40 pages
- They have a long list of citations or references at the end of the paper.
- They may include charts or graphs--but no colorful advertisements or photographs.
- They may have a DOI number (digital object identifier) assigned to them
- They have section headings like...
- Introduction [Strategic reading tip: Read this section to start!]
- Methodology
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion [Strategic reading tip: Read this section to start!]
Where to find peer-reviewed articles?
Use one of the following databases...
- ProQuest
On the Advanced Search screen, put a check in the box that says "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" or "Peer reviewed," like this...
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- JSTOR contains *only* scholarly journal articles, so it's good to use, too! (And you don't need to check a limiter box--everything it shows you will come from a scholarly journal.)