Peer review is the process used by publishers and editors of academic / scholarly journals to ensure that the articles they publish meet the accepted standards of their discipline. Manuscripts being considered for publication are sent to independent experts in the same field (the author's scholarly or scientific peers). They evaluate the quality of the scholarship, reliability of findings, relevance to the field, appropriateness for the journal, etc. Most, but not all scholarly journals are peer reviewed. ( Info created by McMasters University Library - http://library.mcmaster.ca/faq/what-does-peer-reviewed-or-refereed-mean)
Articles in "scholarly" journals, also known as "academic" journals, are distinguished from those in mass-media magazines (Maclean's, Chatelaine, Newsweek) by the following characteristics:
· they report on or review original research, experimentation, or in-depth analysis
· their authors are scholars (researchers, experts) in a particular field of study, and are identified as such
· they are formal in writing style and format, aimed at a specialized, academic audience and use specialized language
· articles tend to be lengthy and usually consist of a number of distinct sections such as: abstract (a short summary of the article); introduction and statement of the problem; literature review; methodology; data collection; analysis; conclusions and recommendations for further research
· sources are cited with footnotes or a bibliography at the end of the article
· they contain little, if any advertising
( Information created by McMasters University Library - http://library.mcmaster.ca/faq/what-a-scholarly-or-academic-journal)
