Articles submitted for peer review go through a vigourous process of inspection and consideration.
Watch the video, Peer Review in 5 Minutes for all the basics on peer reviewed journal articles.
Literature Review
A literature review is a compilation of the research that has been done on a particular topic. The purpose is to present a summary of what is and is not known, identify gaps or areas of controversy, and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the currently published work. Example: Absolute pitch: A literature review of underlying factors, with special regard to music pedagogy.
Research Articles
Research articles are published by scientists or researchers who want to make the results of their work known. Research articles usually include a summary of the research, a description of the research, how it was carried out, and the results. Example: Music Therapy Increases Social and Emotional Well-Being in Persons With Dementia: A Randomized Clinical Crossover Trial Comparing Singing to Verbal Discussion.
Meta-Analysis
Meta-analysis uses a statistical procedure to combine the findings from independent studies. These may then be used to evaluate therapeutic effectiveness and for planning new studies and is often used as an overview of clinical trials. Example: It’s all in your head: A meta-analysis on the effects of music training on cognitive measures in schoolchildren
Systematic Review
A systematic review focuses on a single question and tries to identify, appraise, select and synthesize all high-quality research evidence relevant to that question. It often uses the same techniques as the meta-analysis to combine valid research studies. The seven steps for preparing a systematic review as outlined by the Cochrane Handbook are: formulating the problem, locating & selecting studies, critical appraisal of the studies, collecting data, analyzing & presenting results, interpreting the results, improving & updating the systematic review. Example: Listening to music for insomnia in adults
Adapted from: UNTHSC Gibson D. Lewis Health Science Library
Please ask me or another librarian if you need help finding articles.
When searching in the SPU Library Article Databases, look for the peer reviewed or scholarly check box when you begin your search:
or after your search you can pull out the peer reviewed/scholarly articles from your results:
Refine your results
- Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals
When you find an article on the Internet, it may not be clear whether it is from a peer reviewed journal.
To determine whether a journal is peer reviewed,
