Discussion: Criteria for International Peer-Reviewed Journals

In general, peer review is the process by which experts
approve scholarship in their particular field of research. Single-blind
review and double-blind review are two popular approaches. In a
single-blind review, the reviewers know the author’s identity, but the
author does not know the names of any of the reviewers. A double-blind
review takes the anonymity one step further by guaranteeing that the
reviewers do not know the name of the submitting author who, as with a
single-blind review, does not know the names of the reviewers.

These review processes offer potential benefits to
scholars. As a doctoral student, you can recognize and reap these
benefits. You should know the criteria for recognizing peer-reviewed and
non-peer-reviewed articles as well as how, when, and why to use each
type.

To prepare:

• Choose an article from an international peer-reviewed journal from the Walden Library.
• Reflect on how you determined that the article is peer-reviewed.
• Read “Peer Review: An Introduction and Guide” in this week’s Learning Resources.
• Consider the possible advantages and disadvantages of peer review.

By Day 3

Post the title of the article, the name of the
database where you found the article, and the link to the article. Then,
explain the criteria you used to determine that it is a peer-reviewed
journal article. Next, explain the importance of using peer-reviewed
journal articles as a scholar-practitioner in your particular field.
Finally, provide an example of a situation when material that is not
peer-reviewed would be acceptable for a scholar-practitioner to cite,
and why.

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

President & Fellows Harvard University. (2010). Interrogating texts: Six reading habits to develop in your first year at Harvard. Retrieved from http://guides.library.harvard.edu/sixreadinghabits
Note: The navigation links on the Harvard site may not be functioning properly, so please scroll down the page manually to access the information.

Ware, M. (2008). Peer review: An introduction and guide. Retrieved from http://publishingresearchconsortium.com/index.php/prc-documents/prc-guides-1/47-prc-peer-review-guide-final-2013-07-22/file

Walden University. (2014) Library. Retrieved from http://library.waldenu.edu/

Walden University. (n.d). Writing Center. Retrieved from http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012g). Walden University: Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and evidence [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.