Q. What are scholarly, peer-reviewed articles?

What is a scholarly journal?

A scholarly journal is a periodical that contains peer reviewed articles. They are written for an audience of scholars and researchers in a particular field. Other terms commonly used to describe this type of journal are peer reviewed, academic, or refereed.

What is peer review?

Peer review is a process used to ensure the quality of articles. When an article is submitted to a peer reviewed journal, the editor(s) send it out to experts/scholars in the field (i.e. the author’s peers) to review and critically evaluate the article on quality, importance, and appropriateness to the journal.

What is the difference between peer review and the publication process for popular magazines?

Magazine articles are only judged/reviewed by the editor of the magazine, who may not have any knowledge of the article's subject matter. Writers for popular publications are usually paid for their articles. The articles are also usually geared to a more general audience.

Note: Trade publications are not peer reviewed or written for scholars in a particular field, but they are written for an educated audience that has some knowledge of the issues presented. They are more in-depth than popular magazines and may be useful for certain types of research.

To check to see if a journal is peer-reviewed, use this Source Evaluation Aid.