An article that has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by experts in the topics covered in the article before being accepted for publication is considered to be peer-reviewed. As a reader, when an article has been peer-reviewed you know that someone who is knowledgeable on the topics has evaluated the article. This means that you can be more confident that the information in the article is reliable. There are four stages to the peer-review process:
- An author writes a research paper and submits it to a journal for publication.
- The journal editors send the paper to experts in the field to be reviewed. Often all identifiable information about the author has been removed before being sent so that the experts aren't influenced by who the author is or what their credentials are. The experts will evaluate the paper and suggest revisions or for the paper not to be published.
- The author of the paper will make any requested revisions or potentially rewrite the paper and resubmit for final review
- The journal publishes the reviewed work.
Peer-reviewed articles may also be referred to as refereed. It's important to note that peer-reviewed papers would be considered scholarly or academic, but not all scholarly and academic articles have been peer-reviewed. Be sure to clarify with your instructor if you have questions about which type of article they would like you to use.