A peer-reviewed journal is a highly respected scholarly publication. Before an article is published in a peer-reviewed journal, it is sent by the editors of the journal to other scholars in the field ("peers") to get feedback on the quality of the scholarship. Reviewers comment on the quality of the research methods, as well as relevance or importance to the field. The article may be accepted, often with revisions suggested, or rejected for publication. Many researchers submit articles to peer-reviewed journals, and many of these journals have low acceptance rates.
When searching for peer-reviewed articles, a good rule of thumb is to search in at least three different databases. Results, display, and search features differ from database to database so you may miss critical articles if you use just one.
Some great places to start your research are WPI Library Search and Google Scholar, which are interdisciplinary resources. For discipline-specific research, browse our Subject Guides to find databases and other online resources that relate to your topic. If you know the name of a database you wish to search, such as JSTOR or ScienceDirect, go to our A-Z List of Databases.
To find peer reviewed articles in WPI Library Search, type your keywords into the search box, and then choose the Peer-Reviewed Journals filter in the left of the search results page.
