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CJ 315: Research Methods

The Peer Review Process

What is Peer Review?

Peer review is designed to assess the validity, quality and often the originality of articles for publication. Its ultimate purpose is to maintain the integrity of science by filtering out invalid or poor quality articles.

 

Chart image of the peer review process.

 

What is the Difference between Peer Reviewed and Scholarly Journals?

While the terms "Academic" and "Scholarly" can often be interchanged, they do vary:

  • Academic Journals: Are defined as academic journals that publish articles which carry footnotes and bibliographies, and whose intended audience is comprised of some kind of research community.

    It is a broad classification that includes both "peer-reviewed" journals as well as journals that are not "peer-reviewed" but intended for an academic audience.

  • Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals: Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals are journals that are intended for an academic audience and have undergone the peer-review process.

Source: EBSCO