Through the library database
Many library databases allow you to click on the journal title to get more information about the journal, including whether the journal is a peer-reviewed journal.
If you are searching for peer-reviewed articles in a library database, click on the journal title for the article you might like to use for your research to read more about the journal.
Through the journal's website
Most publishers have a website for their journal that tells you about the journal, how authors can submit an article, and what the process is for getting published.
Google the journal’s title to find its website, then look for a section called aim and scope, information for authors, instructions for authors, submitting an article, or something similar. These areas will tell you if the journal includes peer review in its publication process.
Using clues from the article
Not all articles in a peer-reviewed journal are peer-reviewed articles. Journals often include editorials, commentaries, essays, letters to the editor, and book reviews which are not peer-reviewed sources.
However, peer-reviewed articles typically include certain common features. For example, if an article has several of the below listed characteristics, it is most likely peer-reviewed:
- Abstract List of keywords Literature review
- Original research
- Some description of research methodology
- In-text citations
- Bibliographies, works cited, or reference pages
- Written by expert(s) in the field, usually faculty, scholars, or researchers at academic institutions
- Graphs, charts, images, etc., directly related to the research
- Specialized vocabulary/jargon, specific to the field
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