VT ENGL1106 course template: Information - Types

Trying to figure out if an article you have is peer reviewed?  Here are some steps you can follow to determine that!

1. Check the journal's website, and see if it refers to using the peer review process.

2. Use Ulrich's Periodical Directory, a database that will give you all sorts of information about a journal, including whether or not it uses the peer review process.

3. Read the article closely, and see if it adheres to rigorous research principles!

My professor is requiring scholarly articles?  Why is a scholarly article better than any other type?  Scholarly or peer-reviewed articles have been reviewed by a panel of authorities in that particular field before they are published.  These scholars have given the information in the article their stamp of approval.  These means this researcher has shown good research and this article can be considered of the highest authority.  As academic researchers you are expected to move beyond the background information stage and enter into a conversation on a topic of interest. 

For your assignments in this, and other, classes, you'll hear a lot about using "scholarly articles."  But what are they, and how do they fit into your though process as you decide which articles, books, or other resources to use in your research?  Watch the video below to get a better explanation!  Thanks to our friends at Kimbel Library at Coastal Carolina University for producing such fantastic videos!

Peer reviewed articles may also be called "scholarly" or "refereed."  The term peer review refers to an editorial process in which experts from a particular discipline scrutinize articles before they are published by a journal.  Watch the video below for a good overview of what these articles are, and why you should know about and use them.

Many thanks to our friends at NC State University for creating such a fantastic video!