FIU Libraries: Social Work Guide: About Scholarly Sources & Peer Review

PEER-REVIEWED: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Peer-reviewed journals only publish articles that have been approved by a panel of experts/researchers/professionals in a field of study. Some professors/assignments will require that you only use peer-reviewed sources.

The video below, from North Carolina State University Libraries, explains peer review and what it means to you. In 3 minutes, this video will help you become familiar with the peer-review process and understand its significance to new knowledge production and scholarly research.

IDENTIFYING SCHOLARLY VS. POPULAR SOURCES

What is the difference between popular and scholarly articles?

	Scholarly Journals	Trade Publications	Magazines
Written for	Professors & students	Workers in a specific industry	General public
Written by	Scholars	Professional writers and industry experts	Professional writers
Appearance	Usually plain with few color illustrations; advertisements limited to books and journals; may have tables, graphs, formulas; photographs	Glossy with industry-specific advertisements	Glossy with advertisements
Articles	Have a list of references (citations), e.g., Works Cited, Bibliography Written in technical and scholarly language Report current and innovative research and scholarship Are usually 10 pages or more in length Reviewed by other scholars prior to publication	May have a brief list of sources, e.g., interviews, magazines Written in technical language specific to the industry Report industry trends and news Are usually less than 10 pages in length Reviewed by professional editor employed by the publication	Almost never have a list of references or sources Written in relatively simple language appropriate for the intended audience Report current topics and events Are usually less than 10 pages in length Reviewed by professional editor employed by the publication
Examples	Journal of Adolescence Journal of Popular Culture	Advertising Age CD Computing News	Ebony Elle Newsweek

Floor		Resources
One		Center for Academic Success: University Learning/Testing Center Electronic Classroom Broadcast Video Productions Resource for Education Technology UTS - Media Equipment Services Distance Learning Electronic Classroom Instructional Photography & Graphics
Two		Information & Research Services Curriculum & Juvenile Collection LACiC - Latin American and Caribbean Center Government Documents GIS-RS Center & Teaching Lab Maps & Imagery User Statistics
Three		Periodicals & Newspapers Laptop Lounge Honors College Student Resource Center College of Medicine Library Copiers Systems
Four		College of Medicine Special Collections & Archivese Academic Space Management School of Social Work Study Area
Five		Audiovisual Collection Diaz Ayala Collection Architecture and Fine Arts (General Collection and Periodical Section N) Music (General Collection and Periodical Section M) Music Listening Room Music CAI Center Spanish Resource Center Group Study Rooms
Six		Quiet Study Space Group Study Rooms General Collection HJ-L & P-Z Oversized Books
Seven		General Collection A-HG Quiet Study Floor Group Study Rooms
Eight		Library Administration Collection Management Digital Collections Center

Floor		Resources
One		Circulation Course Reserves Intercampus/Interlibrary Loan Information and Research Services Center for Excellence in Writing Communication Arts Studio Computer Labs/Copiers
Two		Microforms Periodicals Juvenile Collection Oversize Collection Video Collection Government Documents Reference Workroom Reference Collection Copiers
Three		General Collection, A-Z Library Administration

Social Work Guide

PEER REVIEW & YOU

PEER-REVIEWED: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

IDENTIFYING SCHOLARLY VS. POPULAR SOURCES

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