If you are not sure whether a scholarly journal is peer reviewed or refereed, try these methods.
- First look at the end of the article (pdf) for a list of citations (Reference List, Works Cited, or Bibliography). If there is none, then it is not a peer-reviewed article, even if it appears in a peer-reviewed journal. All peer-reviewed/refereed articles have a list of sources with complete citations.
- Go to the website of the journal. The peer review, also known as referee, process is time and labor intensive; therefore, publishers will mention it if the title is peer reviewed. Note: Not all articles in a peer-reviewed journal are peer reviewed. Book reviews, editor's introduction, letters and commentaries, for example, are not peer reviewed.
- Use the database Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory. This is a directory of journals, magazines and newspapers and indicates whether the title is refereed. Ulrichs is especially useful for titles that have ceased publication.
- Some databases, such as those from EBSCO and ProQuest, as well as AU Library Search, have a check box that allows one to limit their search results to peer-reviewed items.
