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PLS/SAS 12: Plants and Society

Identify Peer-Reviewed Articles

A peer-reviewed source is an article that has been reviewed by several other experts in the field before being published  in order to ensure its quality. This 2 minute video describes the peer review process

How do I Know if an Article is Peer-Reviewed?

Look for limits/filters

Many databases allow you to specify that you want to search only in “peer-reviewed” or “refereed” sources.

Visit the journal’s webpage

Search online for your journal’s title. Sections like “about this journal” or “editorial policies” generally mention whether the journal is peer-reviewed/refereed.

Check a directory 

Use the Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory to find key information about a journal, including whether it has a peer-review process.