What are scholarly or peer-reviewed articles, and how do I find them?
Answer
Scholarly articles are written by subject experts—such as professors, researchers, or professionals—and are intended for academic or professional audiences. These articles often include citations, use specialized vocabulary, and may present original research or analysis. Scholarly articles differ from articles in popular magazines like Time or Newsweek, which are written by journalists for a general audience. Articles in popular magazines are great for overviews and current events, but typically lack citations, technical language, and the depth needed for academic research.
Peer-reviewed articles are a type of scholarly article that has gone through an additional layer of review. Before publication, they are evaluated by other experts in the same field (the author's peers), who verify the accuracy of the research and suggest revisions to improve its quality. Only after this review process is the article published.
Both scholarly and peer-reviewed resources are available in the library's databases. For an overview on how to search for resources in the databases, check out our Find Articles & Reports LibGuide.