How can I narrow my search to include only peer-reviewed, refereed, or scholarly articles?

The EBSCOhost, Gale PowerSearch, and ProQuest databases in the University Library under Article Databases -- Major offer a check box on the initial search screen allowing for search results to be limited to only those articles from peer-reviewed publications, otherwise known as refereed publications. Checking this box will result in fewer search results since this feature filters articles, but it will also result in a set of articles with a more scholarly focus.

If you are evaluating search results and are unsure if each article listed is peer reviewed, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind:

• Peer-reviewed articles are usually substantial in length -- often 10 pages or more
• Peer-reviewed articles usually contain extensive discussion of the research methods used by the author
• Peer-reviewed articles usually have an extensive list of works cited at the end of the article text
• Peer-reviewed articles often contain substantial statistical analysis

Using these guidelines, you should in most cases be able to select peer-reviewed articles with confidence. If you have additional questions about the appropriateness of any particular article, it may be best to consult with your Instructor since they are final judge of article acceptability.

There is no additional information.