What are "peer-reviewed" or "refereed" journals?
A peer-reviewed journal is a special type of publication. Before articles are published within these types of journals, they are sent by the editors of the journal to other scholars in the field ("peers"), often anonymously, to get feedback on the quality of the scholarship, review research methods, as well as relevance or importance to the field. The article may be accepted, often with revisions suggested, or rejected for publication.
Considered the most respected, researchers wish to have their works published in them. Many often have low acceptance rates.
What types of articles will you find in peer-reviewed journals?
There are two main types of articles in peer-reviewed journals: Original (primary) and Review (secondary).
Original (primary) articles: Original articles in the sciences are detailed accounts of research activity written by the scientists who did the research. Original articles contain a hypothesis or research question, description of research methods, results of the research, and analysis of the results.
Review (secondary) articles: Review articles summarize the current state of understanding on a topic. A review article surveys and summarizes previously published studies, rather than reporting new facts or analysis.
Find more journals on bioinformatics and other topics by searching in Browzine. This tool allows you to search the Gordon Library's collection of academic journals.