History

The terms scholarly article, academic article, research article, peer-reviewed article, and refereed article are often used interchangeably. So what do these terms actually mean? And where should you look to find scholarly articles?

Peer review refers to the editorial process that research undergoes before it's published in an academic journal. Before publication, an article is evaluated by a group of scholars in that field of research. Sometimes articles are rejected; sometimes they're accepted; and other times, they're sent back to the author for revisions. Peer review isn't a perfect system, and peer review doesn't guarantee that the research that is published is above reproach. (It also doesn't mean that solid research can't be found outside of academic journals.) But it's the way much of academic research is vetted, published, and distributed--and it's what your professors generally mean when they ask you to look for a "scholarly article."    

It's possible to find peer-reviewed articles through a basic web search, but because of the high cost of academic journals, you'll typically find more academic research by searching one of our library databases.