Some scholarly journals require articles to be approved by a peer group of scholars and academics in the discipline. For example, biologists would review, or referee, articles written by biologists. These journals are called peer reviewed, or refereed, journals.
Not every article in a peer-reviewed journal is a peer-reviewed article. For example, an editor, rather than a group of peers, may make decisions about letters to the editor, book reviews, and news, and other types of non-research articles.
If you are unsure if an article is peer-reviewed, look for the words: submitted [date]; accepted [date], as shown in the illustration further down on this page.
Primary Sources
Some articles in scholarly research journals report the first results of original research. These articles are called primary research articles.
Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library. "Christopher Street, N.Y.C. Gay pride street fair." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1983. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e3-74cf-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Research articles in many disciplines are organized into standard sections. Although these sections may vary by discipline, common sections include:
It's not hard to spot these sections; just look for bold headings in the article, as shown in these illustrations:
