Credibility is one of the central aspects of any research project. For this reason, there is a specific peer review cycle needed to determine the nature of a study. Among all points of this process, I differentiate the evaluation of methods used for the research and recommendation for publishing as the most significant ones (“Scrutinizing science: Peer review,” n.d.). Correct methodology is critical for the validity of findings. At the same time, being published, a paper becomes a credible source used by other scientists, which increases its value. That is why I consider these points to be critical.
One should also realize the fact that the quality of scholarly journals content is guaranteed by the hard work of editors who are responsible for their publishing. There are also peer reviewers who assist editors in determining the relevance of information presented in papers and their credibility. However, there are at least two points that differ an editor from a peer reviewer. First, the last one is not responsible for the whole journal as he/she might check only several articles, but editors work with all of them. Second, a final decision whether to publish a paper or not is made by an editor.
It is also critical to differentiate between the high quality and irrelevant sources. Several aspects indicate a peer-reviewed paper. First of all, it should have a volume and issue numbers. It means that an article is published in a scholarly journal which is checked by an editor and peer reviewer. It is also critical to consider the title of a journal as it will indicate the relevance of its content and the nature of the information presented in it. I am sure that the article chosen for this week meets these requirements and can be considered a peer-reviewed one. Additionally, new peer-reviewed papers can be found in scholarly journals or online databases containing them.
References
Scrutinizing science: Peer review. (n.d.).