Many academic journals contain articles that must pass before a panel of scholars and experts before they are accepted for publication.
Articles that meet the high standards of these review boards (usually comprised of university and college professors) are then classified as "peer-reviewed" articles.
Most academic databases allow you to limit your search to peer-reviewed items.
While not all scholarly journals go through the peer-review process, it is usually safe to assume that a peer-reviewed journal is also scholarly.
If you aren't sure if an article has been peer-reviewed, you can check the journal's publication details or you can always ask a librarian for assistance.
Covers many subject areas, with full text articles from scholarly and peer-reviewed journals. Also contains magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, almanacs and reports. Remember to limit your results to peer reviewed articles.
Multi-disciplinary database, with over 8,500 full-text publications, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals going back to 1887, with most titles in searchable PDF format. Remember to limit your results to peer reviewed articles.
Use the filter menu to refine your search results to Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals.
If you find an article in a database and are uncertain whether it is peer-reviewed, you can check the record of the article (by clicking its title), then clicking on the title of the journal. The full record of the journal will indicate if the journal is peer-reviewed/refereed, usually in the description section.
If you can't find this information in the journal record, search for the journal title on the Internet to find their website. Visit the About page to find information about the publishing and editorial practices followed by the publication.
Here is an example from Academic Search Premier showing how they list publication details for their journals:
| Publication Details For "Journal of Philosophy of Education" | |
| Title: | Journal of Philosophy of Education |
| ISSN: | 0309-8249 |
| Publisher Information: | Blackwell Publishing Limited 9600 Garsington Road Oxford OX4 2DQ United Kingdom |
| Bibliographic Records: | 03/01/1998 to present |
| Full Text: | 03/01/1998 to present (with a 12 Month delay) *Full text delay due to publisher restrictions ("embargo") |
| Publication Type: | Academic Journal |
| Subjects: | Education; Philosophy |
| Description: |
Peer reviewed coverage of the ethical, political, aesthetic, and epistemological dimensions of educational theory. Examinations range from fundamental philosophical issues to detailed critical analysis, & are all related to educational practice & policy. |
| Publisher URL: | http://www.blackwellpublishers.co.uk/asp/journal.asp?ref=0309-8249&src=sub |
| Frequency: | 4 |
| Peer Reviewed: | Yes |