Peer-Reviewed Literature: Identifying Peer-Reviewed Research

• Most journals will make available their peer-review process. This can be found on the publication's website or within individual issues if a print copy exists. One quick way to tell if an article is peer-reviewed is to look for "submitted/revised/accepted" dates on the first page. These tell you the dates the article went through the various steps of the peer-review process.
• Additionally, certain databases and directories will index publications which present the peer-reviewed process. The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is one such directory where peer-review and type of peer-review is listed. 
• The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) is another source for peer-reviewed information. It describes the criteria required for peer-reviewed research in the medical sciences, but also has an official list of recommended journals which meet necessary standards.
• While MEDLINE databases generally do not filter for peer review, you can look at their journal selection criteria for their collections. The NLM catalog also provides a list of current journals and their information. 

• Many databases such as CINAHL Ultimate, Nursing Reference Center, Health Reference Center Academic, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus have a filter for peer-reviewed literature. Many EBSCOhost and Gale hosted databases will also limit for scholarly or peer-reviewed results. You can apply these filters within the advanced search page of certain databases before or after browsing for retrieval of certain results. 
• Most MEDLINE or Elsevier databases will not have a peer review filter. PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Clinical Key will not limit your results for peer-reviewed information. You must determine if the journal where your article is published is peer-reviewed by using the methods in the box below. 

If there is no filter, identifying peer-reviewed status can involve features of the study itself.

When determining whether an article is peer-reviewed article, you should consider the following questions:

Is the journal in which you found the article published or sponsored by a professional scholarly society, professional association, or university academic department?

Does it describe itself as a peer-reviewed publication? (To know that, check the journal's website). 

Did you find a citation for it in one of the databases that includes scholarly publications? Read the database description to see if it includes scholarly publications.

Is there an abstract (summary) at the beginning of the article?

Is the tone of the article thoughtful, restrained and serious?

Does the article have footnotes or citations of other sources?

Does the article have a bibliography or list of references at the end?

Are the author's credentials listed?

Is the topic of the article narrowly focused and explored in depth?

Is the article based on either original research or authorities in the field (as opposed to personal opinion)?

Is the article written for readers with some prior knowledge of the subject?

Is the article divided into sections (Introduction, Methodology, Discussion, Conclusion, etc.) with proper headings?