What does peer reviewed mean?
Peer review is the process where experts in the same field evaluate a research article before it’s published. They check it for originality, accuracy, and quality, and may suggest changes or improvements.
Why does peer review matter?
Because it has been reviewed by experts, a peer-reviewed article is considered more reliable and credible for academic work than popular sources like newspapers, blogs, or magazines.
Other terms you might see: Peer-reviewed articles may also be called refereed, academic, or scholarly articles.
Tip: Many subject databases (such as PsycINFO, CINAHL, Business Source Complete, and others) also let you limit results to peer-reviewed or scholarly articles.
Here are some instructions for how to filter for peer-reviewed search results in LibrarySearch.
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Links & Files
- Peer Review in 3 Minutes (video from North Carolina State University) Opens in new window
- How do I find peer reviewed articles in LibrarySearch? Opens in new window
- How do you identify a scholarly (peer-reviewed) article? Opens in new window
- I have been asked to do a literature review by my faculty supervisor - how do I get started? Opens in new window