Essentially, peer review is an academic term for quality control. Each article published in a peer-reviewed journal was closely examined by a panel of reviewers who are experts on the article's topic (that is, the author’s professional peers…hence the term peer review). The reviewers look for proper use of research methods, significance of the paper’s contribution to the existing literature, and integration of previous authors’ work on the topic in any discussion (including citations). Papers published in these journals are expert-approved…and the most authoritative sources of information for college-level research papers.
Articles from popular publications, on the other hand (like magazines, newspapers or many sites on the Internet), are published with editing for spelling and grammar and style, but not necessarily for factual accuracy or intellectual integrity. While interesting to read, these articles aren’t sufficient to support research at an academic level.
Jennings Library offers access to several key journals in sociology. Click on the links below to browse these journals and monitor current research in your field.
Library databases have access to articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers. Every database has different content. This makes it important to use a database that has content on the subject you are researching. In addition, be sure to search in more than one database to find information.
Check out these recommended databases to get started: