Peer Reviewed and Primary Research

What Does it Mean When an Article is "Peer Reviewed?"

When a journal is peer-reviewed (also called "Refereed"), it means that all articles submitted for publication have gone through a rigorous process of evaluation.  To make sure that scholarship meets the highest standards, first it is evaluated by the editor(s) of the journal.  This is sometimes called "internal review." In some cases--like many medical journals, for example--multiple in-house research editors may vet the article before even considering it for further review.

The editor then enlists the services of other scholars in the same field as the manuscript's author--in other words, that author's peers. This peer-review process is sometimes called "external review."  These peer scholars offer their view on the quality of the article and its research.  How appropriate and exacting was the research method?  Were the results presented in the best way possible?  Was the literature review thorough?  Does the article make a significant contribution to the scholarship of that field?  Does it meet the scope of this particular journal? There are many criteria for judgment!

The exact peer-review process will vary from granting agency to journal.  And the whole value of peer review, as it now exists, is often hotly debated. Some believe that the Open Access (OA) movement of publishing research on the web and inviting scrutiny and comment will eventually eliminate the need for peer review.

However, as of now, peer-reviewed literature is still considered the highest form of scholarship.  More importantly, your professor will likely say that they want you to use peer-reviewed articles in your paper--sometimes exclusively.