WR 122 Robillard & Fierman: Peer Review
Why use peer reviewed articles?
Peer reviewed or scholarly articles can be a helpful part of your research, especially in combination with other types of sources.
It is important to remember that peer reviewed articles are often very specialized, and not a good starting place for most topics. They are written BY subject experts FOR subject experts, so they can be challenging reading. That said, they offer a high level of credibility and authority!
Peer reviewed articles are typically found using a library database or Google Scholar, and they may come up in a web search. Remember not to pay for access to articles while you're a student! Get in touch with the library to see if we can find a copy of the article for you.
Peer Review Explained
Find Articles with Google Scholar
Before searching, be sure to set PCC as your library in your browser by:
- Visiting the link to set "Library Links" settings for Google Scholar,
- using the search box to search for "Portland Community College",
- checking the check box that appears underneath the search to select “Portland Community College – Find it @ PCC”,
- and then selecting the Save button.
This will ensure that when you search Google Scholar in your browser, you will see Find It @ PCC links to full text if we have the article (Google Scholar sometimes also provides links to other free sources for full text).
You can learn more about setting Google Scholar preferences on the PCC Library Website.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowGoogle Scholar searches the web for scholarly articles, reports, books, and other materials. If using Google Scholar from a PCC campus, you can access full text articles. If PCC has access to an article, a "Find it @ PCC" link will appear to the right of the search result. Click “Find it @ PCC” to go to the library catalog where you will be offered a choice to view the article. From home, you will need to set your Google Scholar preferences to access PCC Library resources. See How to Search PCC Library on Google Scholar for directions on how to set your Google Scholar preferences at home.
Anatomy of a Scholarly Article
Spend a few moments working your way through the Anatomy of a Scholarly Article tutorial at https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/scholarly-articles/
Were there parts that you found surprising?
Why? Who Cares?
Academia, research, the library - these are places and spaces with a shared culture. Culture, in a nutshell, is what people do.
Understanding the culture of a place or people helps us figure out how to engage.
Research isn't any different. Anne-Marie Deitering--dean of libraries at OSU--is a really smart researcher and she came up with this list of things that scholars and experts do, a list of things that make up their culture.
Databases with Peer Reviewed Articles
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowFull text for more than 4,500 scholarly social sciences, humanities, general science, education and multi-cultural journals. 3,700 are peer-reviewed.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR has full text of over 1000 scholarly journals in the arts and sciences, as far back as 18xx up to 3-5 years ago. Note: It does not include current issues of the journals. All ARTstor image collections are now part of JSTOR, and can be searched using the "Images" tab then selecting "ARTstor collections".
- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new windowFull text for more than 1,000 peer-reviewed life sciences, Health Science, physical sciences, and engineering journals with citation information for thousands more. Look for the "Full-text available" indicators to view articles online. View the Science Direct handout.
- Psychology Resources This link opens in a new windowSearch EBSCOhost's Psychology Collection, Academic Search Premier, and MasterFile Premier at the same time. Topics in the Psychology Collection include emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry and psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods.
Reading Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Need to find research articles from peer-reviewed science journals for a class project? These tutorials will get you started.
- What is a Peer Reviewed Article?This handout describes the peer review process, and characteristics of peer reviewed articles.
- How to Read a Scientific Journal ArticleFrom Purdue University - this tutorial will help you read scientific research articles efficiently.
- How to Read a Scientific ArticleFrom Utah State University, a video tutorial and overview of the anatomy of a scientific article.