There are a number of ways you can determine whether an article or journal is peer-reviewed.
1. Review the article itself for the following indicators that it is peer-reviewed.
- Published by a scholarly journal.
- A serious, thoughtful tone.
- Length: academic articles are usually (but now always) over ten pages long.
- Includes an abstract.
- Citations throughout as well as a works cited page.
- Credentialed author: the author is affiliated with an institution, most often a university or research institute.
For an in-depth look at the differences between popular, academic, and scholarly sources, see this Information Literacy Tutorial.
2. Many databases indicate whether or not a journal is peer reviewed in the search results, article record, and/or journal record.
If a database indicates that a journal is peer reviewed, it's a safe bet to assume it is. But do note that not everything in a peer-reviewed journal is peer-reviewed. Editorials, news items, and book reviews do not go through the same review process as articles.
3. Finally, if you have any doubts as to whether a journal is scholarly or peer-reviewed, best practice is to visit the journal website. Most publishers have a website for a journal that tells you about the journal, how authors can submit an article, and what the process is for getting published. If you find the journal website, look for the link that says information for authors, submitting an article, publication ethics or something similar.
