What Does “Peer Reviewed” Mean?

This is a term you may see applied to journal articles, or even as a filter option on an online database. But what does it really mean? Is it important? If a source has been peer-reviewed, it has been critiqued and approved by a board of the author’s colleagues in his or her field. This board evaluates the article and makes recommendations before it is published. If you find a peer-reviewed source in an online database, it means that the article has been approved for publication by the board of reviewers, and is therefore deemed a quality academic contribution to the field. These are some of the best sources to use. Not only is the information in these articles accurate, but it is also accepted by the community of scholars in that field as good and reliable research.

If you find a source that is not peer-reviewed, that does not mean you should not use it. Instead, critique the quality of the scholarship using the questions above.