Journal articles are vital secondary sources of information for serious researchers. Articles are much shorter than books and focus in-depth on very specific topics. Published by academic presses or associations and written by experts in a field (such as university professors or other professionals), they provide detailed information on the most current research and developments in that field.
You will often hear scholarly journals described as being "peer reviewed". This means that when an author submits their article to a journal for publication it is first referred to a committee of experts in that field. (These experts would be the author's professional equals or peers, hence the term.) This committee carefully reads and studies the article, making sure that the research was properly done. If they find possible errors in the article, it may be sent back to the author for further work and revision. Only when the peer-review committee is satisfied that the article meets the journal's standards of scholarship will it be published. If properly done, peer reviewed articles provide you with the most authoritative information available on your research topic.
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