When do I use a peer-reviewed journal?
Use a peer-reviewed journal to:
- find literature review on your topic
- find original research on a particular topic
- look for case studies
- look for empirical research
- find bibliographies that point to other relevant research
Peer-Reviewed
Here, you're not only looking for scholarly journals, but for journals in which a panel of of experts/peers in the field reviews articles to decide whether they should be accepted for publication. Articles selected by this process are considered "peer-reviewed," or "refereed."
Note: Remember that editorial opinion pieces, book reviews, news articles are not peer-reviewed pieces even if they are a part of a peer-reviewed journal. Be sure to carefully evaluate each article.
Scholarly vs. Popular Periodicals
Difference between scholarly journals and popular magazines
| Scholarly | Popular & General Interest | |
| General Appearance | Serious appearance; may contain graphs, charts, statistics, few pictures, known as "Peer-Reviewed" or "Refereed" or "Academic" | Attractive in appearance, heavily illustrated with photos and ads |
| Writers of Articles | Articles written by scholars and researchers in the field. Before publication, articles are reviewed and approved by subject specialists | Usually free-lance or staff writers |
| Audience | College students, faculty, scholars, or researchers | General public |
| Purpose | To report on original research or experimentation | To provide information, news or to entertain the reader; also may be aimed to sell products or promote a particular point of view |
| Documentation | Always cites sources and may include endnotes or a Works Cited page | Sometimes cite their sources |
| Publisher | Often a university, a research institution, or a professional organization | Commercial enterprises or individuals |
| Examples | Journal of Marriage and Family, American Historical Review, Social Problems, New England Journal of Medicine | Ebony, Men's Journal, Good Housekeeping, People, Sports Illustrated, |
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Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Information
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Information
| Primary Information | Secondary Information | Tertiary Information |
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Primary sources of information are first-hand observations or experiences of an event when it happened. There can be competing opinions from different sources about the same event. |
Secondary sources are created after an event happened. They can include a review or an analysis of the event. |
Tertiary sources are compilations of information and can contain lists or collections for locating secondary and primary sources. |
| Examples: Photographs, letters, diaries, speeches, autobiographies, and newspaper articles | Example: Books, journals | Example: Abstracts, almanacs, bibliographies, dictionaries, directories, fact books, guidebooks, indexes, manuals, and textbooks |