What are peer reviewed articles and journals?
Answer
In publishing, peer review is an editorial process often used by scholarly and academic publishers. When authors submit an article to a peer-reviewed journal or publisher, the editors send the article to outside subject matter experts ("peers" of the authors) for evaluation. These experts might accept or reject the article, or recommend revisions before the article is published. There are many varieties of peer review.
While peer review has flaws, and there are reliable scholarly and other sources that don't use peer review, peer review is considered an general indication of quality in scholarly publishing.
Some journals publish a mix of peer reviewed articles and other types of content like letters to the editor, opinion pieces, invited articles, transcripts of speeches etc... which are not peer reviewed. For this reason care is needed to determine whether an article is peer reviewed. Look for information indicating the type of article, or the publisher's editorial policies on their website to help you understand which articles are peer reviewed.
As you read more widely in your field of study, it will become easier for you to determine whether an article is peer reviewed and which journals are most respected in the field. In the meantime, if you are unsure, you can ask your professor, advisor, or subject librarian for help.
Need more information? See our video tutorials, PDFs, and handouts on finding peer reviewed and scholarly materials.