Library 101

The following brief video will introduce students to identifying scholarly / peer reviewed sources in databases. 

What is a Peer-Reviewed or Scholarly Article?

Often, a Professor will specify that articles need to be peer-reviewed, scholarly or refereed (they all mean the same thing). A peer-review process means that other experts in the field reviewed the article's content prior to publication and determined it was scholarly.

Common components of a peer-reviewed article are:

• Abstract: a brief paragraph that describes the content of the article. TIP: If you cannot understand the abstract, you definitely won't be able to understand the article!
• Bibliography: Sources will be clear, usually at the end with a reference list but sometimes with footnotes or both.
• Authority: the author's credentials/affiliation will be clearly stated.
• Technical: and contain specific terminology relative to the topic and/or graphs, charts or complex mathematical equations or formulas.
• It will likely be substantially longer than a magazine article. This tells you NOT to search in popular magazines, newspapers, trade journals and Google.

Yes, there is Google Scholar, but often times once an article is finally located there is a fee to obtain it. Always check JET Library databases first, where access to everything is FREE.

How do I find Peer-Reviewed Articles?

These types of articles are ONLY found in Scholarly Journals. The best way to access scholarly journals is through JETfind or our databases. To limit to peer-review only, look for a box where you can check 'peer-reviewed' or "scholary journals".  

The screenshot from the left is from JETfind but each database could have the Peer Review option in a different place.

The Search Results list in JETfind will also include a peer review icon that is visible even if you don't select Peer-Reviewed Journals from the filters.