NARIC’s Research In Focus series highlights new and interesting findings from NIDILRR-funded studies, presented in lay language summaries. The series covers a wide array of topics, and aims to present peer-reviewed research in readable formats, so our readers can learn about issues that affect them every day. The Research in Brief companion series breaks down some of the concepts readers might come across when exploring research in disability and rehabilitation. This issue introduces the concepts of peer review and peer reviewers.
When was the last time you searched for a health question online? For many of us, a quick look online is our first step to getting information about a particular health condition or disease. Unfortunately, not everything online is accurate and it’s important to take note of the pages you are visiting to gather information. Peer-reviewed scientific journal articles are a good option for reliable medical and scientific information. They feature scientific research that is conducted by health professionals and reviewed by experts.
What are peer-reviewed health journal articles?
Peer-reviewed journal articles are health related articles that have undergone a thorough analysis by a group of experts who evaluate a study’s research and findings before publishing it. These articles usually contain researchers’ data and analysis of a specific topic and answer a central research question. In order to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, an article must contain accurate data that upholds rigorous standards on how the research was carried out and analyzed.
One of the main methods of ensuring only quality research is included in journals is the peer review process.
What is peer review?
Peer review is the system used by journals to assess the quality of research present in a scientific article. Every article that is submitted to a journal is evaluated by one or more reviewers to ensure that it follows the criteria of the journal, contains original research or a new approach to existing data, and is relevant and significant. Peer review can also help in identifying errors or inconsistencies in results or points of potential confusion in the discussion or conclusion sections. Often, the editorial team of a journal will choose peer reviewers from the specific field of research an article is discussing to critically analyze the work.
Who are peer reviewers?
Peer reviewers are experts in a given scientific, medical, or health related field who volunteer their time to read and evaluate research articles that have been submitted to journals. Once a peer reviewer finishes their analysis of a paper they may include a list of recommendations to improve the article and send it to the authors of the article to consider. It is up to the authors then to accept and modify their article and resubmit to the journal if they wish. Some journals may require that reviewers and authors be ‘blind’ to each other. This means, the reviewers do not know who the authors of the articles are, and the authors are unaware of who reviewed their research. This blinding could limit any potential bias on the reviewer’s part, since there is a possibility that reviewers and authors may be colleagues or professional peers.
What are the benefits of the peer-review process?
By including a peer-review process, journals are confirming the validity of an article prior to publishing it. They are also working towards improving the readability and quality of an article by providing suggestions on how to make an article clearer and easier to understand.
The next time you find yourself online looking up a health question, consider searching through online peer-reviewed journals for the answer.
To learn more:
- Search the NARIC collection for peer reviewed literature.
- Read How to Dissect a Journal Article from our Questions from the Community collection.
- Learn more about peer reviewed literature from the National Library of Medicine
- Explore the Directory of Open Access Journals to find peer reviewed articles which can be read without a subscription, library membership, or paywall.
Hafsa Abdirahman, MPH, is a public health scientist and freelance medical writer and editor. She believes that access to evidence-based, quality health information can save lives and she’s worked throughout her career to put this belief into practice.