Psychology

Peer review plays a central role in scholarly publishing. In a peer-reviewed ("scholarly") journal, articles are not accepted for publication until they have gone through the process of being read and critiqued by experts in the author's field (i.e., peers). Peer review helps to validate research and establishes a method by which that research can be evaluated as credible.

• An author submits their article to the editor of a peer-reviewed journal.
• The journal editor forwards that article to one or more reviewers who carefully evaluate the quality of the submitted article.
• Peer reviewers check the article for accuracy and assess the validity of the author's research. There are several types of peer review:
  • A single-blind review means that the names of the reviewers are not known to the author of the article. This is the most common type of peer review.
  • A double-blind review means that both the names of the reviewers and the name of the author are not known to each other. This can prevent any bias on the part of the reviewers.
• If necessary, the reviewers suggest changes and the article is returned to the author to be revised. If they find that the article does not meet the standards set by the publication, the submission is rejected.
• After necessary revisions, the article can be submitted through the process again.
• If accepted, the article is published.

Because of the strict standards for publishing set by a peer-reviewed journal, articles in such publications are examples of the best research practices in a given field. However, keep in mind that even peer-reviewed journals will sometimes publish editorials or letters - these are considered opinion pieces and would not be suitable for use as a "scholarly" source.