What is a peer reviewed source?
A peer reviewed or scholarly source is written by an expert in the field and is reviewed by other experts in the field to ensure quality, merit, and style. Peer reviewed articles are published in academic journals, and scholarly monographs usually go through a rigorous editing and approval process by academic publishers and editors.
How can you tell if a work is scholarly (peer-reviewed)?
You can tell if a work is scholarly by paying attention to its publisher (scholarly journal or popular magazine?), sources (are arguments supported by citations or a list of references? does the work cite other academic sources?), and other clues such as its style, content, and intended audience. Look for works published by a University, professional association (e.g. APA), or known scholarly press. The majority, but not all, works in the Hubbard Library are scholarly sources.
Is there an easy way to specifically find peer-reviewed articles?
Yes! Whether you are searching for articles within the library catalog or one of our article databases there is an easy way to limit results to scholarly peer-reviewed articles.
A. When searching the catalog, on the left side of the screen, you can select filters to limit results to Fuller owned peer reviewed articles (you can also limit to full text if desired), as seen below:
B. When searching in an article database there should also be a filter setting for peer reviewed (or scholarly) journals. In the example below you will see the filter option in the ATLA database.
If you are having trouble determining how to filter for peer reviewed articles in one of our databases send us an email at lib-systems@fuller.edu and we would be happy to help direct you!
If you are having difficulty finding appropriate scholarly sources for a research project feel free to reach out to our reference librarians at lib-reference@fuller.edu or schedule an appointment in our online reservation portal.