A journal is a scholarly publication intended for specialists to learn about the latest research, news and views in a field. Journals can be published monthly, quarterly or yearly, depending on the publication.
What is peer review?
Peer review journal articles are written by subject experts and reviewed by other scholars in the field. Peer reviewed material is considered more authoritative and reliable than non-peer reviewed articles and journals.
Journal articles often have a particular writing style and can be challenging to read compared to other sources. See the video below for tips on how to read scholarly material such as journals.
Search FiNDit using the keywords of the journal topic or title, and narrow by Peer Reviewed Journals and Available Online.
Alternatively, use eJournal - eBook Citation Search to access journals that are held electronically. This will link you with the databases or publisher collections containing those journals. You can also search within publications by entering the journal name in the From this publication field in FiNDit, along with your other search terms as necessary.
There are three types of journal articles you may encounter when doing your research: scholarly, popular and trade journals. Scholarly articles are the most suitable for University assignments.
| Scholarly | Trade | Popular | |
| Currency |
Slower Original research and peer review process |
Medium/fast Discusses current issues in an industry |
Fast Fast publication process as material is designed to be on trend |
| Authority | Author(s) are identified, qualified and academic experts in their field. | Authors are usually identified, often have industry experience. | Authors are often not identified, can be journalists, freelance writers, non-experts. |
| Purpose | To provide the last research in a particular field. | To keep up to date with developments in a profession. | To entertain |
| Appearance |
No advertising material. Lengthy Images or graphs generally support or illustrate research data Divided into sections including abstract, literature review, data or methodology, results, conclusion and bibliography |
Can contain advertisements Brief, 1-2 sections Photos may be included to support key points May have an informal structure |
Usually includes advertising and sponsored material Brief, 1-2 pages Photos included for aesthetic appeal Often no formal structure |
| Reliability | Contains extensive citations for credible sources | May contain citations | Rarely includes citations |
Ulrichsweb
Ulrichsweb serials directory is a very reliable way to check if a journal is peer-reviewed (refereed). Search using the name of the journal and then look for the black and white referee jacket. This indicates that the journals content is peer -reviewed.
On Ulrichsweb you can find detailed information on more than 300,000 periodicals (serials) including journal titles, newspapers, magazines and more.
Databases
Many databases also offer a feature to limit results to peer reviewed journals. Note terminology may vary, look for terms such as reviewed, refereed or scholarly. See the example below from ProQuest Religion.
FiNDit
After you have entered your search terms in FiNDit use the peer-reviewed journals filter under 'refine my results' on the left hand side of the page.
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