Peer review is a process journals use to help ensure the articles they publish represent the best scholarship currently available. When an article is submitted to a peer reviewed journal, the editors send it out to other scholars in the same field (the author's peers) to get their opinion on the quality of the work, its relevance to the field, its appropriateness for the journal, etc.
Publications that don't use peer review rely on the judgment of the editors whether an article is scientifically valid.
Note: Peer review should not be confused with Review Articles.
If you take a side-by-side look at Journal of the American Chemical Society and Chemical & Engineering News, you'll spot the differences pretty quickly.
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| Appearance: | Black-and-white charts; tables; color plates | Glossy paper and photographs |
| Ads: | Little or no advertising | Many ads |
| Typical Article Title: | "The tubulin-bound conformation of discodermolide derived by NMR studies in solution supports a common pharmacophore model for epothilone and discodermolide" | "Energy Efficiency in Chemical Plants Improved" |
| References: | Yes | No |
| Purpose: | Communicate current research | Disseminate news, features, profiles, etc. |
