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FSW 295: Research & Evaluation Methods: Peer Review???

Peer Review in 3 Minutes

Video created by NCSU Libraries

How do I know if something is peer reviewed?

If you are looking for peer reviewed articles, there are a number of ways to locate them.  One way is to limit your database searches to only articles in peer reviewed publications.  Many databases allow you to do this.  For example, most EBSCOHost databases have a box labeled "Scholarly" or "Peer Reviewed" in the limiters section under the main search boxes.

Another way is to use Ulrich's Periodicals Directory.  This is an authoritative source for information about periodicals.  Simply search the title of the journal using a title (keyword) search in the search box on the top right of the page.  If the journal is labeled as refereed: yes (or has a little icon of a referee's jersey in the results list) then it is a peer reviewed publication.

  1. Go to the journal's website
  2. Check for information on a peer review process for the journal. Try the Author guidelinesInstructions for authors or About this journal sections.
  3. Make sure the article is NOT an opinion, commentary, book review, or conference proceeding.

If you can find no evidence that a journal is peer reviewed, but you are required to have a refereed article, you may need to choose a different article.