Related Guides: Find Articles, Popular vs. Scholarly vs. Trade Journals

What is a Scholarly/Peer Reviewed Article?

Peer review is a well-accepted indicator of quality scholarship. It is the process by which an author's peers read a paper submitted for publication. A number of recognized researchers in the field will evaluate an article and recommend its publication, revision, or rejection. Articles accepted for publication through a peer review process implicitly meet the discipline's expected standards of expertise.

Scholarly articles are peer reviewed by experts in a given field for validity, originality, clarity, completeness, and bibliographic honesty.

The articles are signed, bibliographies are extensive, and articles appear in journals that are published by academic and scientific societies. 

Where to Search for Peer Reviewed Sources

The best place to start your search for peer reviewed articles is in a Library Database. After conducting your initial keyword search, look for a checkbox with the words “peer reviewed” or "academic" to limit your article results to peer reviewed articles. This option is often found on either the right or the left side of the results page in a database.