How To Do Research

Finding Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed Articles

Most library databases have checkboxes or filters to limit your results to only scholarly & peer-reviewed articles.

Choose the checkbox for peer-reviewed if available (most but not all scholarly journals are peer-reviewed). If not, look for a scholarly journal checkbox or filter.  If the database has both, you can check both.

Some key characteristics will help you distinguish between research and review articles. A research article is describes an experiment that attempts to solve or address a very specific problem/issue. These articles always contain the standard sections:

Abstract - This is a brief paragraph description of the inner-workings of the article. The abstract allows scholars and scientists to ascertain what the article is about in just a few seconds. 

Introduction - This section states the purpose of the article, defining the problem and putting it into context.  It may include a review of the published literature on the topic.

Review of literature - This section is usually located just after the research description. The review summarizes the results of other experiments that have been done in the past.

Method - This section contains a detailed description of the approach the researchers have taken to test the idea, problem, or issue.

Results - The Results of the experiment or test is explained after the Method description.

Discussion or Conclusion - This is where the researchers interpret the results of the experiment or test and create meaning.

The research article always ends with a "Bibliography" or "References" or "Works Cited" section.
 

This interactive tutorial (hosted by NCSU Library System) illustrates the components of a journal article:
https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/scholarly-articles/

What are Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles?

Scholarly journals are journals which are well respected for the information and research they provide on a particular subject. They are written by experts in a particular field or discipline and their purpose is to advance the ongoing body of work within their discipline. These articles might present original research data and findings, or take a position on a key question within the field. They can be difficult to read, because their intended audience is other experts and academics, but they are the capstone when it comes to authoritative information.

Scholarly journals are oftentimes peer reviewed or refereed. A peer-reviewed or refereed article has gone through a process where other scholars in the author’s field or discipline critically assess a draft of the article. Not all scholarly journals go through the peer-review process. However, it is safe to assume that a peer-reviewed journal is also scholarly. In short, “scholarly” means the article was written by an expert for an audience of other experts, researchers or students. “Peer-reviewed” takes it one step further and means the article was reviewed and critiqued by the author’s peers who are experts in the same subject area. The vast majority of scholarly articles are peer reviewed.

from the Moffett Library at Midwestern State University.