Answered By Library Staff
Last Updated: Oct 16, 2023     Views: 345

"Peer Reviewed" usually refers to an article from a scholarly publication (usually a journal), with a review process for submitted articles written by experts on that topic that requires another expert in that field to review the work before publication. Peer-reviewed articles are sometimes called scholarly articles. This is different than articles found in popular sources, like magazines or newspapers. Learn more about the difference here in this FAQ.

Keep in mind that some materials can be said to be scholarly, such as certain books, but are not necessarily peer reviewed (rather, they are edited for grammar and possibly fact-checked, but not reviewed by another expert in that field). 

Also keep in mind that peer reviewed journals may publish other types of articles that are not peer reviewed, such as book reviews or other types of articles like essays. Sometimes an article like that may be flagged in databases or the catalog as being published in a peer-reviewed journal, but that doesn't mean it will meet the requirements that your instructor is looking for in a peer reviewed article. 

View the videos and links below to learn more.