Tip
The journals we refer to as "peer-reviewed journals" include some items that are not peer-reviewed, such as editorials, columns, news, etc. Only the scholarly or research articles are submitted for peer review.
Ask a Librarian
What are peer-reviewed journal articles?
Peer review is described in the Oxford English Dictionary Online as:
"The process by which an academic journal passes a paper submitted for publication to independent experts for comments on its suitability and worth; refereeing."
Because peer-reviewed journal articles have been reviewed and edited before publication, they are considered a highly credible source of information.
Where do you find peer-reviewed journals?
Use appropriate journal databases to increase your access to peer-reviewed journals:
These databases index the scientific literature, and cover most of the highly regarded life sciences journals. The majority of these journals are peer-reviewed.
How do you check if a journal is peer-reviewed?
There are several ways to check whether a journal uses peer review:
- In some databases, you are able to limit your search to articles published in peer-reviewed journals.
- Some of the fulltext databases provide a link to the journal homepage, where you can check the information provided by the publisher to ascertain if the journal is peer reviewed.
- Print copies of journals will sometimes state if the journal is peer reviewed/refereed (e.g., under journal details or information for contributors).
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UlrichsWeb (Ulrich's Periodical Directory) is a database which provides information about most journal publications, including if the journal is peer reviewed/refereed. See the tips below on using Ulrich's.
Tips on using Ulrich's.
1. Perform a Title (keyword) search on the journal title (remember you are looking for details about the journal not the article).
2. In the results list, if the icon 
appears beside the journal title, it means that the journal is peer reviewed or refereed:
After selecting the title, you get more information about it:
