Confused by scholarly, peer-reviewed sources?
This guide explains the peer review process, the identifying characteristics of a peer-reviewed article, and where you'll find scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles in the RGO Library & Learning Commons databases.
Also called an academic or peer-reviewed journal, a scholarly journal:
A scholarly, peer-reviewed journal article:
Section/Heading:
|
Purpose & Content: |
Introduction or Objective |
To present the research question(s) or problem and overall intention of the research study. |
Background or Literature Review |
To describe the current understanding and knowledge of the topic with a focus on how the study makes an important contribution. |
Method(ology) or Research Design |
To describe the procedures used to conduct the study, such as data collection and theoretical method for analysis of the data. |
Results or Findings |
To report on the new information and knowledge acquired through the research study |
Discussion, Analysis and/or Conclusion |
To summarize and interpret the implications of the results in the context of the topic or field as a whole, including areas where further research may be needed |
In addition to the scientific format described in the previous tab, there are several common types of scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles.
Follow the links below to view examples of a systematic literature review, a case study, a theoretical research article, and a scientific research article from the library databases: