• The next time you want to publish your academic article, publish it in a scholarly, peer-reviewed Journal.

Academic journal articles undergo a peer review process before they are published in scholarly journals. They are typically written by experts in the specific field of study.

Some of the characteristics of these papers are that they are written in formal language, contain in-depth analysis, and adhere to rigorous methodologies. The articles are a primary source of disseminating knowledge and advancing various disciplines.

Peer review basically means that the articles are reviewed by experts in the field of specialization to ensure their quality and validity. Formal language, on the other hand, means that the authors use precise and technical language specific to their discipline.

The articles are also characterised by in-depth analysis, which delves into research questions, methodologies and findings of their studies. Rigorous methodology requires the author to follow established research methods and guidelines.

In addition, peer-reviewed journal articles are written and published in a formal format. The articles follow a structured format that basically consists of an abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, findings/discussions, conclusion, recommendations, and references.

Read More

  1. Africa's Nurse Shortage Puts Lives at Risk
  2. War On Paper: UDA Counters Gachagua’s Resignation with Cold Smile
  3. The Mother’s Day Mystery: 7 Reasons It Outshines Father’s Day

In most cases, references or bibliographies constitute the last part of a journal article. They comprise a comprehensive list of sources used in the article or research. These sources include books, published journal articles, websites, newspapers, etc.

In terms of length, academic articles are generally longer than non-academic articles. In most cases, they are more than five pages.

Peer-reviewed journal articles include the author's name(s). Some journals also include their affiliations and contact information in case readers want to reach them.

There are three types of academic journal articles, and they include;

Original research articles: These present primary data or new findings and results from the original research.

Review articles: They critically evaluate existing research and synthesize findings from numerous studies.

Theoretical articles: They use existing research to formulate new theories.

Peer-reviewed academic journal articles can be found in libraries of universities and higher learning institutions. The universities provide access to a vast collection of journals and databases. They can also be found in online databases like Google Scholar, JSTOR, PubMed, among others

Some journals are open access, meaning they are available online and free to read and download for readers and other users.

How do you identify a Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed Journal Article?

As discussed above, peer-reviewed articles are reliable and accurate sources of reference. To identify peer–reviewed articles, one will have to look out for several characteristics as outlined below;

1. It must be written by a scholar/researcher

To know if a scholar or researcher wrote the article, check whether the authors have advanced academically, i.e., do they have advanced degrees like a master's and a PhD?

In addition, look out for whether the author has an affiliation or association, such as if they work in a university, hospital, or a similar knowledge-based organisation.

2. What the article is about and the intended audience

Here, you check whether the article intends to provide original research to increase knowledge about the topic.

In addition, check whether the scope and topic are narrowly defined with a theoretical or scholarly focus at the centre of professional practice, or if it is general, broad and popular.

Finally, check out whether the content is research-based and analytically presented with the intent of creating new knowledge. If the intention is mere persuasion, entertainment, informing or reporting, it is not scholarly.

3. Structure of the article

Check out the length, formatting, headings/sections within the article. A peer-reviewed article should have a clear structure indicating a scientific research study.

For instance, it should first have an abstract, followed by the introduction, a literature review, a methodology, findings, a conclusion, recommendations, and references. The article should also be at least five pages long.

Less structured articles that are not scholarly in most cases, and if they are, they are predatory.

4. How the article is written

Evaluate the language, tone and point of view of the article. A scholarly, peer-reviewed article should be written in a formal and technical language.

The article should also contain professional jargon to indicate a trade source. Otherwise, a plain, simple article indicates a general source.

In addition, a scholarly, peer-reviewed article should only be understood by people of higher education and knowledge. If the general public understands the article, then it is not scholarly.

Finally, a scholarly, peer-reviewed article should be objective and logical. It should be argumentative with various published research studies to support its claims.

5. Publication type

Look for markers indicating that the article is published in an academic journal. Read through the website on menu descriptions like 'about' and 'aims and scopes. These sections will indicate the type of publication you are checking out.

If the primary purpose of publishing is new knowledge and original research, then it is scholarly. The website's visual appearance should be plain with minimal advertising and colour. Colourful and flashy websites with many graphics and advertisements are not scholarly.

Other additional clues that are typical but not necessary in scholarly peer-reviewed articles are: First, the date of receipt and the date of acceptance. The two dates indicate a peer review process before publication. Second, a summary of the article in the form of an abstract on the front page.

Third, the structuring into sections to demonstrate a research study with headings like introduction, objectives of the study, methodology, findings, discussion, conclusion, and references.

The next time you want to publish your academic article, publish it in a scholarly, peer-reviewed Journal.