Peer reviewed articles are often considered the most reliable and reputable sources in that field of study. Peer reviewed articles have undergone review (hence the "peer-review") by fellow experts in that field, as well as an editorial review process. The purpose of this is to ensure that, as much as possible, the finished product meets the standards of the field.
These terms are interchangeable with each other, and these articles are not always peer reviewed/refereed. These articles are still research focused and heavily sources (lots of references), and written for an academic audience, but they may have only been reviewed by an editorial board, rather than content experts. This does not necessarily take away from the importance of the publication or its legitimacy as a valid academic source.
Peer reviewed publications are one of the main ways researchers communicate with each other.
Most library databases have features to help you discover articles from scholarly journals. Most articles from scholarly journals have gone through the peer review process. Many scholarly journals will also publish book reviews or start off with an editorial, which are not peer reviewed - so don't be tricked!
Peer reviews are conducted by scientific experts with specialized knowledge on the content of the manuscript, as well as by scientists with a more general knowledge base. Peer reviewers can be anyone who has competence and expertise in the subject areas that the journal covers. Reviewers can range from young and up-and-coming researchers to old masters in the field.
Scientific papers submitted for peer review usually follow a specific structure that begins with the title, followed by the abstract, introduction, methodology, results, discussion, conclusions, and references. The title must be descriptive and include the concept and organism investigated, and potentially the variable manipulated and the systems used in the study.
Access to Academic Search Complete and CINAHL - Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature can be accessed through CANVAS under Student, Library, and Learning Resources.
Academic Search Complete is an indexing program owned by EBSCO they are the leading provider of research databases, e-journals, magazine subscriptions, e-books, and discovery services to libraries of all kinds. Designed for academic institutions, this database is a leading resource for scholarly research. It supports high-level research in the key areas of academic study by providing journals, periodicals, reports, books, and more. This database contains 3,618 active, full-text, non-open-access journals and magazines.
CINAHL Database is also owned by EBSCO. This is the definitive research tool for nursing and allied health professionals. With CINAHL Complete, users get fast and easy full-text access to top journals, evidence-based care sheets, quick lessons, and more. Take a few minutes to evaluate all that CINAHL Complete has to offer, and you will see why hundreds of thousands of nurses and allied health professionals rely on this essential resource. CINAHL Complete, users can access a comprehensive scope of content covering over 50 nursing specialties as well as allied health subjects including speech and language pathology, nutrition, physical therapy, and much more. This database contains 600 active full-text, non-open access journals indexed in CINAHL.
Click on the Document for a handout on how to access these and additional EBSCO Databases in Canvas and view the video below.