What it is and How to Identify Peer Reviewed Articles

What is “Peer Review” Peer review (aka Refereed) refers to the rigorous examination by subject experts of articles submitted for publication in a professional or scholarly journal This process is intended to guarantee that articles being published are well designed and make a worthwhile contribution to the literature of that field Whether or not an article must submit to peer review is determined by the journal considering the article for publication

Determining Peer Review Only journals (not books, magazines or newspapers) may require a peer review process. Not all journals require that articles submitted for publication pass a peer review process in order to be published.

Determining Peer Review Originally the only way to determine if an article was peer reviewed was to check the journal in which the article was published. There are now a number of other methods. The following slides will show some of those methods.

Determining Peer Review Method 1: Now there are databases such as UlrichsWeb, that provide information about periodicals and which can be accessed through the library website

Determining Peer Review The following shows how information about a journal, including whether or not it is peer reviewed, can be retrieved in Ulrichsweb.

Determining Peer Review To access UlrichsWeb, start at the library home page and click Find Articles.

Determining Peer Review A menu of databases will display. Scroll down the menu to locate the link for UlrichsWeb and click it.

Determining Peer Review When accessing UlrichsWeb off-campus or through the campus wi-fi, a login screen will display. Students: enter your student portal login and password Faculty and Staff: enter your network login and password

Determining Peer Review The UlrichsWeb search page will display.

Determining Peer Review In the search box, enter the title of the journal then click the search icon.

Determining Peer Review A list of journals will display.

Determining Peer Review The search may retrieve multiple records. Scroll the results list to locate the journal you need.

Determining Peer Review If the journal is peer reviewed, there will be a shield icon next to the title. JAMA is peer reviewed.

Determining Peer Review Method 2: Some periodical databases include information about the journals they index, including whether or not the journal requires peer review: Academic Search Complete Health Source Nursing and Academic CINAHL Alt Health Watch

Determining Peer Review The following slides show how information about a journal, including whether or not it is peer reviewed, can be retrieved in Academic Search Complete

Determining Peer Review

Determining Peer Review The publications search screen will display

Determining Peer Review Enter the journal title in the Browse Publications box, then click Browse

Determining Peer Review If the journal is indexed, it will be at the top of the display list; click the journal link to retrieve the journal record

Determining Peer Review When the journal record displays, check the Peer Reviewed line. Yes indicates that articles in the journal are peer reviewed.

Determining Peer Review Method 3: Some periodical databases have an option to limit a search to peer reviewed journals Academic Search Complete CINAHL Health Source Nursing/Academic

Determining Peer Review The following slides show how a search in Academic Search Complete can be limited to peer reviewed journals

Determining Peer Review

Determining Peer Review

Determining Peer Review

Determining Peer Review Method 4: Now most journals have a web site that provides a variety of information, including whether or not articles must go through a peer review process Locate journal web site Locate information on the journal web sit May be easy May be difficult to locate/understand

Determining Peer Review The following slides demonstrate locating the JAMA website and information about the journal’s peer review policy.

Determining Peer Review Access a search engine

Determining Peer Review Enter the name of the journal in the search box

Determining Peer Review Locate the journal web site in the list of results

Determining Peer Review Once you get to the journal website you will need to determine where on the website the information can be found. See if you can locate an About link.

Determining Peer Review JAMA has an About link near the bottom of the page. Click the link to view information about the journal.

Determining Peer Review The information about the journal identifies it as peer reviewed.