Q. How do I know if the paper I found is peer reviewed?

What does "peer reviewed" mean?

If an article is peer reviewed, it was reviewed before publication by scholars who are experts in related academic or professional fields. Those scholars assessed the quality of the article's research, as well as its overall contribution to the literature in their field.

When we talk about peer-reviewed journals, we're referring to journals that use a peer-review process.

Learn more using our handout: "Which of these is peer-reviewed?"

Or, watch this tutorial: "Scholarly vs. Popular Sources"

I found an article; how can I tell if it's peer-reviewed?

You can use UlrichsWeb or Serials Directory to verify whether a journal is peer-reviewed. You can find instructions for using these directories below.

Remember! In addition to research articles, sometimes journals that use a peer review process will also publish material that wasn't reviewed, such as editorial letters, news items, or book reviews. Typically, only reports of research will go through a peer-review process. If you're not sure if your article meets these criteria, you can use this checklist to help you identify scholarly, research-based articles.

Using Ulrichsweb.

Here's how you can check the peer-review status of a journal using UlrichsWeb: 

1. Type the name of the journal into the search box, and click the green search button. You'll need to use the journal's full name, not an abbreviation.
2. Locate the journal on the results list. You might see multiple entries for the same title. This is because UlrichsWeb lists print, digital, and international editions separately.
3. Look for a black-and-white "referee shirt" logo () next to the title. This means that it's refereed (peer-reviewed). 
    

Using Serials Directory.

Here's how you can check the peer-review status of a journal using Serials Directory: 

1. Type the name of the journal into the search box, and click the green search button. You'll need to use the journal's full name, not an abbreviation.
2. Locate the journal on the results list. 
3. Scroll down to the "peer reviewed" heading. If peer-review status isn't listed at all, you can assume that it isn't peer-reviewed.