What does peer-review mean?

Peer-review means that an article is reviewed by a team of experts on the topic before it is published in their journal. The peer-review process is intended to ensure that only the highest quality research and information is published.  

Newspaper and magazine articles are NOT peer-reviewed. Many scholarly articles (also called academic articles) are also peer-reviewed, but not all are. Usually scholarly articles in the sciences are peer-reviewed, but scholarly articles in the humanities may not be. Additionally, some articles such as book reviews, letters to the editor, and news articles are NOT peer-reviewed even if they are published within a peer-reviewed journal.  

Check out the Peer-Review Research Guide for more information.