Check the journal’s peer-review policy, MEDLINE indexing, and article type; news, editorials, and letters aren’t peer reviewed.
When you land on a medical paper, you want to know if experts actually vetted it. The fastest path is to verify the journal’s stated review process, confirm indexing in a curated database, and double-check the article type. Do those three, and you can decide with confidence.
Ways To Verify A Medical Paper Is Peer Reviewed
Here’s a clear, repeatable method you can use on any title from cardiology to public health. Start with the journal’s website, cross-check a trusted index, then look inside the PDF for signals that reviewers shaped the work.
Step 1: Read The Journal’s Peer-Review Policy Page
Most medical journals publish a policy page that names the review model (single-blind, double-blind, open), who screens submissions, and how decisions are made. You’ll often find it under “About,” “Instructions for Authors,” or “Editorial Policies.” Reputable outlets describe the process plainly and list an editorial board with real affiliations.
Step 2: Confirm Indexing In A Curated Medical Database
In biomedicine, inclusion in MEDLINE is a strong sign of scholarly standards. MEDLINE selection involves expert review of recent issues for scientific and editorial quality. You can check a journal’s status through the NLM Catalog or filter PubMed searches to MEDLINE records. See MEDLINE journal selection for how titles are chosen and the MEDLINE filter in PubMed to narrow results.
Step 3: Verify That This Specific Piece Is A Refereed Article
Journals carry a mix: original research, reviews, editorials, news, letters, and corrections. Only research articles and scholarly reviews pass external critique. Editorials and news do not. On the article page or PDF, look for dates like “received,” “revised,” and “accepted,” and a methods/results layout with citations. Those signals point to peer review and editorial handling.
Step 4: Cross-Check Against Best-Practice Standards
Top medical journals align with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and COPE guidance. If a journal states adherence to ICMJE recommendations and uses COPE’s ethics guidance for reviewers, that’s a strong process sign. You can read the ICMJE’s section on reviewer responsibilities here: ICMJE peer-review guidance. COPE’s reviewer code is here: COPE guidelines for peer reviewers.
Quick Checks You Can Run In Minutes
Use this compact checklist to move from doubt to clarity without opening a dozen tabs.
| Step | Where To Check | What You Should See |
|---|---|---|
| Policy Page | Journal website → “About” or “Editorial policies” | Named review model, editor roles, board list, conflicts policy |
| MEDLINE Status | NLM Catalog or PubMed with MEDLINE filter | Indexed in MEDLINE; consistent publisher/ISSN details |
| Article Signals | Article page/PDF | Received–revised–accepted dates; methods/results; reference list |
| Ethics Alignment | Journal policies | Mentions ICMJE and COPE; clear misconduct and corrections rules |
| Scope Fit | Journal aims & scope | Topic matches journal scope; clinical or biomedical focus |
| Red Flags Sweep | Homepage and author guidelines | Real contacts, no “guaranteed acceptance,” realistic review timelines |
What MEDLINE Indexing Tells You
MEDLINE isn’t just a directory. Titles are reviewed by consultants, usually a scientist and a medical librarian, who read recent issues and judge scientific and editorial quality. A journal that passes that bar signals a stable peer-reviewed venue with consistent standards. The selection page explains this process in plain language, and PubMed’s help pages show how to limit to the MEDLINE subset with a simple filter.
How To Use PubMed Filters Without Losing Good Papers
Set your search, then add the MEDLINE subset to restrict results to curated records. Keep in mind: not every solid medical journal is in MEDLINE, and some recent articles can appear in PubMed before full indexing. If you toggle the filter and a paper disappears, check the journal’s site for its policy page and reviewer model before you rule it out.
Reading The Article Itself For Peer-Review Clues
The PDF often tells the story. Look for a structured abstract, a clear methods section, statistics with named tests, and a discussion that cites prior work. Many journals print the submission timeline near the first page. If you see “invited review” or “editorial,” that’s commentary, not a refereed study.
Layout And Metadata That Point To External Review
- Submission timeline: dates for received, revised, accepted.
- Article type: original research, systematic review, meta-analysis, brief report.
- Author contributions and funding: transparency fields tied to ICMJE guidance.
- Data and code links: repositories listed, or a statement when data are sensitive.
Peer-Review Models You’ll See In Medical Journals
Different journals use different models. The model doesn’t make a paper strong on its own; the presence of an actual external critique does. Policy pages usually name the model and outline who sees what.
| Model | What It Means | What To Look For |
|---|---|---|
| Single-Blind | Reviewers know author names; authors don’t see reviewer names. | Policy line stating single-blind; editor selects external reviewers. |
| Double-Blind | Authors and reviewers can’t see each other’s names. | Instructions to strip identifiers before review; policy states double-blind. |
| Open Review | Identities or reports are public. | Published reviewer reports or signed comments alongside the paper. |
Reliable Signs On A Journal’s Website
Legitimate medical titles show who runs the journal and how the review works. Look for a named editor-in-chief, an editorial board with institutional ties, and a conflict-of-interest policy. Pay attention to the language about screening and reviewer selection. Journals that align with ICMJE Recommendations and COPE’s guidance tend to document these pieces well.
What A Clear Policy Page Looks Like
- Scope and audience: fields covered and types of articles accepted.
- Peer-review steps: editorial triage, external review, revisions, final decision.
- Timelines: median days to first decision and to acceptance.
- Ethics statements: authorship, conflicts, data sharing, corrections.
Using Indexes And Directories Beyond PubMed
Open-access titles listed in DOAJ must state a real peer-review process and meet transparency criteria. That doesn’t replace reading policies, but it’s a handy cross-check. DOAJ’s guide spells out requirements such as a visible editorial board and a clear review description. See the DOAJ application guide and their plain-English criteria post for what they expect on a journal site.
Common Red Flags That Call For Caution
Some sites try to look scholarly while skipping external critique. Run away from grand claims with instant acceptance, missing editor names, or fees framed as a promise of publication. If contact details point to webmail only, or the scope covers everything from botany to banking, that’s a give-away. If a title says it’s “indexed” but only lists search engines, that’s not a real index.
Article-Level Traps
- Commentary dressed up as research: opinion pieces without methods.
- No references or token citations: a thin trail that doesn’t match the claims.
- Copy-paste sections: templated prose across different papers in the same issue.
A Fast, Repeatable Workflow
Here’s a 5-minute routine you can run on any medical paper:
- Open the journal site → find “About/Policies.” Scan the peer-review description.
- Open PubMed → search the journal name → apply the MEDLINE subset. Confirm the index.
- Open the PDF → check for submission timeline and a structured abstract.
- Glance at methods and statistics → look for sample size, named tests, confidence intervals.
- Skim the references → see if sources sit in known medical outlets.
When A Journal Isn’t In MEDLINE
Newer or niche titles can still be legitimate. In that case, lean harder on the policy page and the article itself. Some open-access journals list public reviewer reports, which makes the check simple. Others name blinded review with clear steps. If the site links to ICMJE and COPE and shows a board with real affiliations, you can still build trust even without a MEDLINE badge.
What Peer Review Can And Can’t Do
Peer review is a screen, not a guarantee. It filters obvious design flaws and helps authors tighten methods and claims. It can miss issues, and strong papers can live outside the biggest indexes for a while. That’s why the triple check—policy, indexing, and article type—works so well in daily reading.
Cheat Sheet: Signs You Can Trust
- Named editor-in-chief and an active editorial board with affiliations.
- Policy page with a described review model and timelines.
- Indexing in MEDLINE or a clear path toward it.
- Article timeline stamps and a full methods/results layout.
- Corrections policy and contact details beyond a webform.
Final Word: Use The Three-Point Test
Ask three things: Does the journal state an external review process? Is the title curated by a trusted index such as MEDLINE? Does this piece carry article-level signals of review? If you can say yes to at least two and nothing looks odd, you’re likely reading a refereed medical article.