There are most often three types of secondary source publications that may appear in the search results of many social and behavioral sciences databases. These are:
- Scholarly sources -- intended for use in support of conducting in-depth research, often containing specialized vocabulary and extensive references to sources. In many cases, the content has been evaluated by other expects in the field to ensure the reliability of methods used and the validity of findings [i.e., peer-reviewed]. Scholarly sources help answer the "So What?" question in academic writing and lay the foundation for discovering connections between variables, issues, events, or phenomena.
- Popular sources -- intended for a general audience of readers, these publications are written typically to entertain, inform, or persuade. Popular sources help you answer who, what, where, and when questions and are essential for finding information about current events or issues. Popular sources range from objective, research-oriented [but lacking specific citations to sources] to special interest, agenda-driven publications that are intended to persuade the reader to believe a particular way. Review of content is conducted internally by an editor or group of editors.
- Trade publications -- intended to share general news, trends, and opinions among practitioners in a certain industry or profession. Although generally written by experts, they are not considered scholarly because they are not peer-reviewed and do not focus on advancing new knowledge discovery or reporting research results, except in the context of improving best practices and fostering innovation. Trade journals, however, are an essential source of information about emerging trends in the field of business and specialized industries [e.g., tourism, environmental studies, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.]. Review of content is conducted internally by an editor.
Defining What is Peer Reviewed
The terms "academic," "scholarly," and "peer-reviewed" [a.k.a., "refereed"] are often used interchangably to refer to the requirement that you use original, evidence-based studies conducted by experts when writing a research paper. However, while a publication can be identified as academic or scholarly, it may not have been peer-reviewed. A peer-reviewed publication [most often a journal article] is a study that has been thoroughly evaluated and critiqued by impartial experts [i.e., "reviewers"] to:
- Maintain rigorous methodological standards of inquiry within a discipline,
- Ensure the study fits within the overall purpose of the publication,
- Evaluate the reliability and credibility of the overall research design, and
- Ascertain a manuscript's suitability for publication by validating that the study exemplifies the best research standards and practices within the discipline.
Manuscripts [i.e., complete, final drafts of a study] are rarely published as is. In fact, most are rejected or they are returned to the author[s] because the manuscript requires significant edits and revisions to meet the requirements for publication. Manuscripts submitted for publication often go through a blind review process. A single blind review means the expert reviewers know who the author[s] are, but the author(s) do not know who is evaluating their work. A double-blind review refers to only the publication’s editor knowing the identities of the author[s] and the reviewers. The goal of a blind review process is to encourage honest and constructive critiques of the research without any influence from the author[s] and to avoid reviewers showing possible favoritism or an appearance of bias towards the author[s].*
NOTE: Not every article in a peer reviewed journal goes through the peer review process. Content such as editorials, commentaries, book reviews, and research summaries or updates, may be sent to the journal editor for suggested revisions, but they do not go through an external peer review process. When in doubt, always contact a librarian.
* "Peer Reviews." The Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison; Jana, Siladitya. "A History and Development of Peer-Review Process." Annals of Library and Information Studies 66 (2019): 152-162.