How To Figure Out If An Article Is Peer-Reviewed | Quick Trust Checks

You need a clear way to tell whether a paper went through peer review. The steps below work across fields, save time, and cut guesswork.

The goal is simple: confirm the journal runs peer review, then confirm the item is a peer-reviewed article, not a news piece, editorial, or preprint. Do it in minutes with a checklist and a few lookups.

What peer review means

Peer review is a quality screen run by subject experts before a journal accepts research for publication. Reviewers check method, claims, and relevance. Editors compare the reports and ask for revision or rejection. Many journals use double-blind review; others use single-blind or open models where reports may be visible to readers.

Peer review does not guarantee truth, but it does document due process. You should be able to see the journal’s policy, the article type, and date stamps that reflect the path from submission to acceptance.

Figuring out if an article is peer-reviewed: fast checks

Run these quick checks in order. If one step fails, move to the next until you have clear confirmation.

1. Find the journal’s peer-review policy. On the journal website, open “About,” “Editorial policy,” or “Instructions for authors.” Look for the words peer review, reviewer selection, revision rounds, and decision letters.
2. Verify the journal in a trusted index. Use a vetted directory or database that marks peer-reviewed titles. Details sit in the table below.
3. Check the article record. In databases and on the PDF, confirm the article type (research article, review article, case report, protocol). Look for dates such as received, revised, and accepted.
4. Rule out preprints. Preprint servers post drafts that are not peer-reviewed. If the record says preprint or the site is a preprint server, you do not have a peer-reviewed article.

Where to check and what to look for

How to verify the journal

Read the journal’s policy page

Open the journal’s policy or author guide and scan for who reviews submissions, how many reviewers are used, and what counts as acceptance. If the page lists single-blind, double-blind, or open peer review, that’s a strong sign you are looking at a journal that runs external review.

Confirm in a directory or database

Search the journal in Ulrichsweb and look for the “refereed” icon. If the journal appears in the Directory of Open Access Journals, the entry should link back to a clearly stated peer-review policy on the journal site. If you are using PubMed, the index mixes article types; apply article-type filters and read the journal’s page to avoid picking an editorial or letter by accident.

How to verify the article

Check the article type

Start with the record. Databases and PDFs label items as research article, review article, short communication, editorial, letter, news, or similar. Journals often peer-review research and reviews, while front-matter pieces like editorials, letters, and news blurbs do not pass through external review. Case reports and study protocols vary by journal.

Scan for received and accepted dates

On many PDFs you will see a small line near the top or bottom with dates such as “received,” “revised,” and “accepted.” Those stamps reflect a peer-review path. No dates does not prove the item skipped review, but dates plus a clear article type give you firm ground.

Look for transparent review files

Some journals publish review reports and decision letters next to the article. If you see a link labeled “peer review,” “reviews,” or “decision letter,” open it and you will often find named reviewers or anonymized reports with editor notes. That is direct proof.

Spot preprints and conference proceedings

Preprints are not peer-reviewed

Servers such as medRxiv and arXiv carry clear notices that postings are not certified by peer review. Treat them as early drafts. If the preprint later appears in a journal, the journal version will be the peer-reviewed source.

Conference items and book chapters

Some conference proceedings and edited volumes use review, some use only editorial screening. The record should say proceedings paper, extended abstract, or chapter. If you need a peer-reviewed journal article, keep searching until you find one with the checks listed above.

Red flags that call for a closer look

Watch for these signs when a site claims peer review but proof is thin:

• Promises of acceptance in a few days
• Policy pages that avoid details about reviewer selection or revision rounds
• Missing editorial board names or vague contacts
• Article processing charges listed everywhere, but no clear review steps
• Lots of front-matter pieces with few full research articles

What healthy review timelines look like

Weeks to months is normal; same-week acceptance is rare outside fast-track notices.

When you see two or more of these, look up the journal with the steps above and pick a stronger venue if the checks fail.

Ways to figure out whether an article is peer-reviewed on a deadline

Use database filters, then verify

Many academic databases let you tick a box for “peer-reviewed.” Use that to narrow results, then open the journal’s page and confirm policy details. The filter helps you start faster; the policy and dates give you certainty.

Use the DOI

Paste the DOI into a search engine or a resolver. The landing page often shows article type and peer-review links. If the PDF lists dates and the page links to review files, you have strong confirmation.

Ask the librarian

If you still lack proof, send the journal title and article link to a librarian. Library teams can check subscription tools like Ulrichsweb and point you to the right record.

Proof inside the PDF or full-text page

Scan the first page, footers, and the end of the PDF. Many journals place the received and accepted dates near the abstract or references line. Some add the editor’s name. Others publish linked review reports. Any of those items point to a reviewed path.

Check funding notes, data availability, and conflicts. These sections often appear after peer review and help you judge quality at a glance.

What peer review is not

Peer review is not a gold star for everything a journal hosts. Many journals mix article types in each issue. Editorials, letters, obituaries, news, book reviews, and meeting notes may sit beside research. Only the research and review papers usually pass through external review.

Peer review is also not the same as popularity or citation counts. A recent paper might have few citations yet still come from a strong review process. Your task is to confirm the process and the article type, not to chase metrics.

Common myths and quick fixes

“It’s in PubMed, so it must be peer-reviewed.”

PubMed is an index. The index includes many peer-reviewed journals, and it also hosts preprints and front-matter from those journals. Always open the article page, read the article type, and check the journal’s policy.

“The PDF has no dates, so it wasn’t reviewed.”

Some journals omit the date stamps on the PDF. Open the web page version or look for a link to the submission history. If the journal publishes review files, those links settle the question even without date stamps.

“A review article isn’t peer-reviewed.”

Many journals send narrative reviews and systematic reviews to external referees. Methods-heavy reviews such as meta-analyses often carry detailed reports. Treat reviews as articles and look for the same signs: policy, dates, and article type.

Field notes: science, social science, and humanities

Natural sciences and medicine tend to use formal peer review for research and reviews. Preprints are common and carry clear notices when posted on servers. Social sciences use both journal articles and books; check policy pages for review details on book chapters and proceedings. In the humanities, book chapters and monographs dominate; many journals still run peer review for articles, but pace and format differ.

Across fields, policy pages and article labels remain your anchor.

When proof is unclear: two fallback moves

Email the journal

Send a short note to the journal office with the article link and ask whether the item was externally reviewed. Keep it short and polite. Many offices reply with a sentence that confirms the status or points you to the policy page.

Swap in a stronger source

If a source will not pass a peer-review check, find a close match in a journal with clear policy pages and visible dates. Databases often suggest related items; the filters for article type and year help you switch without breaking your outline.

How to write a brief note about your check

Assignments and grant reports often ask you to state how you verified sources. Use one tight sentence in a footnote or method section. Example text you can adapt:

Verified peer-reviewed status by checking the journal’s policy page, the Ulrichsweb “refereed” label, and the PDF’s received/accepted dates.

This line tells a grader or reviewer exactly what you did and where they could check it.

Step-by-step on a typical record

Use this path with any new citation you find in a database or on a journal site.

1. Open the article page. Read the article type label and the abstract. If the label says editorial, letter, news, or viewpoint, you can stop. If it says research article or review, keep going.
2. Click the journal name. From the journal home page, jump to the policy or author guide. Search within the page for the string “peer review.” Scan the section that explains reviewer selection, revision cycles, and final decisions.
3. Check a directory. In Ulrichsweb, search for the exact journal title or ISSN and confirm the “refereed” tag. In DOAJ, read the entry and follow the link back to the policy page on the journal site.
4. Open the PDF. Look near the abstract or the tail of the document for received and accepted dates. Some journals show a full history with revision dates; others show just two stamps. Both patterns fit normal practice.
5. Save a screenshot or note. Capture the policy text or the date line so you can cite it later if asked. A one-line note with a URL and date checked is enough.

Run this path a few times and it becomes muscle memory. Most checks take under five minutes once you know where to click.

Table of common article types and what they mean

One-page checklist you can save

• Journal website shows a peer-review policy with details.
• Directory record confirms peer-reviewed status (Ulrichsweb “refereed,” or DOAJ entry with a clear policy link).
• Article type is research or review, not front-matter.
• PDF shows dates such as received and accepted.
• No preprint labels on the page or PDF.
• Optional bonus: published review reports or decision letters.

Tick four or more boxes and you can cite the source with confidence in a methods section or assignment brief.

Final tip: when a source matters, double-check by running both the policy page and a directory lookup. Two signals plus date stamps remove doubt and give you clean notes for later. Store a quick screenshot.