Reading Strategies for Scholarly Articles
What is Peer Review?
What are they?
Scholarly articles are papers that describe a research study.
Why are scholarly articles useful?
They report original research projects have been reviewed by other experts before they are accepted for publication, so you can be reasonably assured that they contain valid information.
How do you identify scholarly or peer-reviewed articles?
- They are usually fairly lengthy – most likely at least seven - ten pages
- The authors and their credentials should be identified, at least the company or university where the author is employed
- There is usually a list of References or Works Cited at the end of the paper, listing the sources that the authors used in their research.
How do you find them?
Some of the library’s databases contain scholarly articles, either exclusively or in combination with other types of articles.
Google Scholar is another option for searching for scholarly articles.
Finding Peer Reviewed Articles
Choose a Relevant Database
1. Begin by selecting a database from the library databases.
2. You can search databases by title, in the top right corner next to the search bar, or subject.
Begin Your Search
1. Enter the keywords for your topic in the multiple search bars on the database homepage. Then click search!
Limit to Peer Review
1. Locate the "Refine Results" section, usually on the left side of the results page.
2. Under "Limit To", check the box next to "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals".
3. Your search should automatically update.
Verify Peer Review Status
1. Click on the title of an article that looks interesting to you.
2. Use the article record to find where the article was published, usually labeled "Source".
3. Click on the publication name.
4. Find the peer reviewed status of the publication.
Questions?
