Welcome to Using Peer-Reviewed journal articles in the library research databases.
Scholarly, peer-reviewed, academic, and referred are all terms used by your instructors for finding high-quality information based on research.
Let’s take a look at a search in Academic OneFile database.
For this explanation, I am searching for climate change effects on pollinators
You can at this time limit your results to only retrieve peer-reviewed articles by checking the peer-reviewed journals box.
I am also limiting to full-text.
Click search
My results are only peer-reviewed journals
How do you know? By the caption Applied Limiters here in blue buttons and also on the right side Filter Your Results section.
Notice the two checked boxes.
This database uses Academic Journals in reference to limit to peer-reviewed articles published in journals.
Let’s take a closer look at the article Warming induces short-term phenological shifts in pollinator-plant interactions
This article is published in the PlosOne.
Click on the journal title also known as the Source.
You are taken to Publication section of the database about PlosOne
Format Magazine/Journal
Audience Academic
And most importantly under peer-reviewed, it says yes.
So this journal is a peer-reviewed publication.
Another option is to search the web but journal name PlosOne and look for the editorial policy on the publisher’s website.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/journal-information
I have the journal information page open, here you will find under Fair and Robust Review - PLOS ONE staff and our expert board of Academic Editors work together to ensure that the peer review process is fair, fast..
You can also click on the editorial board link, this is the list of editors for PlosOne who are experts in the field.
If you need help using databases or finding articles, reach out to a WCC Librarian! You will find the chat tool embedded in some of the databases for immediate help. Otherwise visit us in-person, send us an email chat, or meet us on Zoom with Book-a-Librarian. All available from the library homepage.
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.
