Do you ever feel like finding a peer-reviewed article is hard because you can’t easily tell if a journal has been through the review process? You’re not alone.
Like you, thousands of students have a hard time finding journal articles that have been through peer review because the process is often complex and quite varied.
However, finding peer-reviewed articles for your research assignment doesn’t have to be complicated. You just have to know where to look to find relevant, peer-reviewed sources for your research assignment.
The goal of this guide is simple. We want you to learn exactly how to find peer-reviewed articles in the shortest time possible.
So keep reading to learn more.
Before You Find a Peer Reviewed Article
The first step to finding a peer-reviewed article is to determine whether the journal has been through the review process.
It doesn’t have to take much of your time to determine whether an article has been through this process. Our guide on identifying if an article has been through peer review should help you figure this out fast.
The skeleton version of it is that you can determine if an article has been through the hands of referees by:
- Setting an online database to show you only the journal articles that have been through the peer review process
- Using Ulrichsweb.com to determine if the article you wish to use as a source for your research assignment has been through peer review
- Examining the publication to determine if has been through the peer review process.
You can also find an official website on the online and check to determine whether the article in question is peer-reviewed.
You need to be careful with this option because many websites online don’t always present current or accurate information.
How to Find Peer Reviewed Articles
The internet is the biggest virtual place yet. For students, the internet is the space to find unlimited information on just about anything.
Search for research paper ideas on Google, for example, and you’re sure to get unlimited and somewhat overwhelming results.
Given just how deep and wide the web has become, it’s not always easy to find peer-reviewed article unless you know how and where to look.
So the right approach is to learn “how to find” and then know “where to find”. By doing so, you’ll be certain that you’re using the right and most reputable sources for your assignment.
So to find a peer-reviewed article:
1. Look for Information about the Author
A peer-reviewed article is work written by an expert with knowledge and extended experience in the field.
The fact that a journal article has appeared in the category of reviewed work means an expert is behind the work. So you do have to look for the information about the author first.
Ask yourself the following questions about the writer of a given piece of a scholarly article:
- What type of degree does the author of this article hold?
- To what extent is the author knowledgeable to indicate that their research is relevant in this field of study?
- What level of authority does the author have on the subject?
Don’t hesitate to look at the writer’s affiliation with organizations or institutions. Doing so will make it easier for you to know more about their experience and expertise.
2. Look at the Subject and the Audience
You already know by now that the purpose of a scholarly study is to answer a research question. It’s with this respect that scholarly articles exist in the first place, and those that have been the review process often have more weight unlike those that haven’t.
Remember, an author will write a journal article with the intention to reach out to other experts in the respective field of study.
The target audience can be researchers, academics, and even students who’re trying to learn more about that particular field of study.
When looking at the subject and the audience, you might want to ask the following questions:
- What is the primary focus of the article?
- Is the content in the article original?
- Does the content play a significant role in answering the question asked by the author?
- Did the author use an analytical approach to do their research?
- Does data and analysis substantiate the conclusions made in the article?
These and additional questions can go a long way to help you find the most relevant peer-reviewed articles for your research assignment.
3. Check the Structure of the Journal Article
Journal articles are like academic essays. They must feature a standard structure to fit in the category of scholarly work. Therefore, when looking for a peer-reviewed journal, make sure the research has the following elements:
- Abstract: It’s a condensed version of the entire journal. Written in past tense, with a word limit of 350, the abstract should be a standalone section that helps a reader to determine whether to continue reading work. A journal that doesn’t have an abstract is NOT a peer-reviewed article.
- Sections and sub-sections: A peer-reviewed article will feature different sections that present information in clear and concise way. These include literature review, methodology, and results.
- References: A peer-reviewed article must have the reference section. Also known as the bibliography, the reference section shows the list the sources of information they used in the research.
4. Determine the Tone Used
A peer-reviewed article features an academic tone. So before you conclude that the journal belongs in this category, check the language the author uses and the way the use it.
The article should be free of grammatical errors, casual language use, spelling mistakes, and confusing syntaxes.
Check how the writer uses terminologies to communicate their message.
If the journal doesn’t reflect the terms used in the related field of study, then it’s more than likely NOT a peer-reviewed piece of work.
Also, if the writer only defines the simple terms, or terms standard to the field of study, there is a high chance the article hasn’t been through the peer review process.