Research Guides: Program Planning: SBS 3496/3596: What is a scholarly article?

How to select or check peer-reviewed articles

Many of the library scholarly and research databases have a filter for "peer-reviewed articles."

If you are using Library Search, select view all articles, and on the page of results, select peer reviewed only on the left margin.

You can also use Ulrich's Periodical Directory to look up the journal name. It is peer-reviewed if it has "Refereed: Yes" and/or Content Type: Academic/Scholarly. Also, if a black and white striped book symbol is present to the left of the journal title, that means the journal is refereed or peer-reviewed.

Ulrich's Periodical Directory This link opens in a new window
Ulrich's Periodical Directory provides users with serials bibliographic and access information that ranges from subscription rates to the web sites. Includes ISSN, former ISSN(s) and former title(s) history, variant titles, editorial and classification data, start year, and frequency. Also pricing, subscription, and distribution details key publisher, editor, rights & permissions and advertising contact.

How Scholarly, Popular and Trade Journals Differ

Different types of publications have different purposes and different audiences. When we talk about journals, we can usually divide these publications into three broad categories: scholarly, popular, and trade publications.

Journal Types
	Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journals	Popular Journals/Magazines	Trade Journals
Purpose	Informs and reports on original research done by scholars and experts in the field. Sometimes also called "Peer-reviewed" journals/articles.	Entertains and informs a general audience without providing in-depth analysis.	Reports on industry trends and new products or techniques useful to people in a trade or business.
Authors	Articles are written by subject specialists and experts in the field.	Articles are written by journalists, freelance writers, or an editorial staff.	Articles are written by specialists in a certain field or industry.
Audience	Intended for a limited audience - researchers, scholars, and experts.	Intended for a broad segment of the population, appealing to non-specialists.	Intended for practititioners in a particular profession, business, or industry.