INQS 125 Common Guide

Peer Review Definition: The evaluation of scientific, academic, or professional work by others working in the same field

• Typically written by professors, scholars, professional researchers or experts in the field
• Before publication, articles are scrutinized by other experts in the same field (that's why it's called "peer review")
• Peer-review articles are considered to be among the most authoritative and reliable sources you can choose for your research paper or project, because of the rigorous review process
• Peer reviewed articles usually have a narrow focus, and often report the results of a research study. Often, they can provide excellent examples or case studies to support the arguments or explanations within your research paper

How to tell the difference between articles published in popular magazines and those published in scholarly journals?

Scholarly Journals

• Audience: written for professionals, researchers, or scholars
• Length: tend to be long articles supported by research and extensive bibliographies
• Author: written by professionals, researchers, or scholars; are often refereed or peer reviewed
• Style: uses scholarly or technical language, not easily understood by the general reader

Popular (Magazines)

• Audience:  written for a general audience
• Length: usually shorter than scholarly journal articles
• Author: journalist or professional writer
• Style: easy to comprehend by the general reader