Not all of the MSK Library’s bibliographic databases include only scholarly, peer-reviewed content. However, resources that index both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed journals generally provide the ability to filter or limit the results to peer-reviewed titles only. In the CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health) database, for example, “Peer Review” is one of the search filter options that may be selected when developing one’s search strategy to limit the search results to content derived from peer-reviewed journals only.

Another way to establish a particular journal’s peer-review status would be to explore the information provided on the journal’s website, usually under its Instructions for Authors.

Figure 2.  BMC Cancer Peer-Review Policy

A more efficient, one-stop place to obtain this information for multiple journals at once, however, is via a proprietary database resource called Ulrich’s, which is a favorite of librarians and library vendors alike. Available via the MSK Library in its online version (UlrichsWeb), this resource allows users to look up a journal and obtain all kinds of information about it, from which indexing and abstracting services include its content to whether or not the title is refereed.

Find out more by dropping by the MSK Library during Peer Review Week (9/19-9/23) or Ask Us anytime!