Here's how it typically works:

1. Submission: An author submits their research paper or article to a scholarly journal for publication consideration.
2. Editorial Assessment: The journal's editor(s) review the submission to determine if it meets the journal's scope, standards, and criteria for publication. They may reject it outright if it doesn't meet these criteria.
3. Peer Review: If the submission passes the initial editorial assessment, it is sent out to experts in the field, known as "peers" or "referees," for thorough evaluation. These experts are typically researchers or scholars who have expertise in the subject matter of the submitted work but are not directly affiliated with the author.
4. Peer Feedback: The peer reviewers carefully examine the submission for its originality, significance, methodology, accuracy, and overall quality. They provide detailed feedback, critiques, and suggestions for improvement to the journal's editor(s).
5. Editorial Decision: Based on the feedback from the peer reviewers, the editor(s) make a decision on whether to accept the submission for publication, request revisions from the author(s) to address specific concerns, or reject it if it does not meet the journal's standards.
6. Revision and Resubmission (if applicable): If revisions are requested, the author(s) revise their work in response to the reviewers' feedback and resubmit it to the journal. The revised version may undergo further rounds of peer review until it meets the journal's requirements.
7. Publication: Once the submission has successfully passed peer review and any necessary revisions, it is accepted for publication and included in the journal's forthcoming issue.

Peer review serves as a critical checkpoint in the academic publishing process, helping to ensure that only high-quality, rigorously researched, and credible scholarly work is disseminated to the academic community and the public. It helps to uphold standards of academic integrity, accuracy, and reliability.

1. Type the name of the journal in the search bar and click the search button. NOTE: you need to use the full name of the journal, not an abbreviation.

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2. Locate the journal in the results list. You may see multiple entries for one journal because Ulrichs lists print, electronic, and international version separately.​​​​​​​

3. Look for a black-and-white referee logo () next to the title - this means the journal is peer-reviewed.

Determining whether an article has been peer-reviewed without a service like Ulrichs typically involves a few steps:

• Journal Reputation: Look at the journal where the article is published. Reputable academic journals usually have a peer-review process in place. Check the journal's website or databases like PubMed, Scopus, or Web of Science to see if it's peer-reviewed.
• Article Information: Sometimes, journals explicitly state whether articles undergo peer review. This information can usually be found on the journal's website, alongside other details about submission and publication processes.
• Author Guidelines: Journals often provide authors with guidelines that include information about the peer-review process. Authors are usually instructed to submit their work for peer review as part of the publication process.
• Editorial Policies: Review the journal's editorial policies. Peer-reviewed journals typically have detailed descriptions of their review processes, including how they select reviewers, criteria for acceptance, and timelines for review.
• Check the Article Itself: While this is not always conclusive, some peer-reviewed articles will include a statement indicating that the article has undergone peer review. Look for phrases like "peer-reviewed" and "refereed."
• Indexing Databases: Many indexing databases only include peer-reviewed journals in their listings. If you find the article indexed in databases like PubMed, you can generally assume it has been peer-reviewed.

Remember that while these methods can help you determine whether an article has undergone peer review, it's always good practice to critically evaluate the content of the article regardless of its peer-review status.

In CINAHL and PsycINFO, there is a "Peer Reviewed" box in the advanced search, which allows you to limit your search results to those that have been identified as peer reviewed.