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CRIM 1208: Research Methods

What are scholarly or peer-reviewed journal articles?

What is a peer-reviewed journal?

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS are often called SCHOLARLY or ACADEMIC journals. They are different from popular magazines. Articles in peer-reviewed journals:

  • are written by experts for other experts
  • usually report on research
  • always include many in-text citations and a list of references or works cited by the author(s)
  • most importantly have been rigorously critiqued and reviewed by experts for quality before being published. This is called peer-review.

VIDEO: Scholarly Journal Articles (04:37)

Distinguishes the different types of materials that you will find in scholarly journals, and demonstrates how to spot the scholarly (peer-reviewed) articles.

  • Video (YouTube)
  • Video (Kaltura)
  • Video transcript (text file)

    • VIDEO: Understanding Peer Review (2:35)

    Describes the peer-review process and why such articles are important for university assignments. Accompanies Module 2 in the KPU Library's Doing Research Tutorial.

  • Video (YouTube)
  • Video (Kaltura)
  • Video transcript (text file)

    • Primary research articles can be intimidating. How can you tell if an article is going to be useful for your assignment? You don't have to read the whole article to find out. I would suggest reading specific sections of article in this order:

    • Abstract: always read this first. It should give you a good summary of the research article.
    • Discussion and Conclusion: Jump down to the end of the article. Read these sections to see the main implications of the research.
    • Introduction: If the article seems promising, read the Introduction for a good outline of why the research was done and why it is important.
    • The rest: If you've decided that this article is relevant, then read the whole article which will describe the methodology and findings in detail.

    APA citation for this video:

    Pitt Community College Library. (2016). How to read a scholarly article [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/c3tV8g70YuU