Peer review is a quality-check process where subject experts evaluate a manuscript before it’s published. They assess the methods, accuracy, originality, and significance. Only articles that pass this expert review are accepted.
How can I tell if an article is peer-reviewed?
- Check the journal’s website:
- Search the journal title and look for “About,” “Editorial policy,” or “Instructions for authors.”
- Words like “peer-reviewed,” “refereed,” or “double-blind review” confirm the process.
- Use the library’s journal finder:
- Enter the journal title in USMA Library's Journal Search
- Look for a “refereed/peer-reviewed” indicator.
- Verify the article type:
- In SCOUT or a database, apply the “Peer-reviewed” limiter, then open the article and confirm it’s a research or review article with an abstract, methods, and references (not an editorial, letter, news, or book review).
Quick checklist
- Journal states peer review/refereed on its site.
- Article is a research/review article with references and formal structure.
- Authors list affiliations; tone is scholarly.
Common pitfalls
- Not everything in a peer-reviewed journal is peer-reviewed (editorials, book reviews).
- Preprints, dissertations, and many conference papers are scholarly but not peer-reviewed.
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