What is a refereed journal?
As in other disciplines, a variety of publications exist in library and information science.
These include:
- Journals
- Books
- Newsletters
- Conference Proceedings
Depending on the publication these materials may be refereed or non-refereed materials.
Refereed Materials
Refereed materials are publications reviewed by "expert readers" or referees prior to the
publication of the material. After reading and evaluating the material, the referee informs the
publisher if the document should be published or if any changes should be made prior to
publication. Refereed materials are also referred to as
Peer Reviewed. Refereed materials are significant to the research and the
literature of library and information science because they assure readers that the information
conveyed is reliable and timely.
Non-Refereed Materials
Non-refereed materials such as
Trade Journals or
Magazines use less rigorous standards of screening prior to publication. In some
publications, each article may be only screened by the publication's editor. While knowledgeable,
no editor can be an authority on all the subject matter printed in a journal. Other non-refereed
materials accept almost anything submitted in order to have something to print.
The term "scholarly materials" is often used to describe refereed materials, but this term is
not exclusive to refereed material. Non-refereed materials may not by scrutinized as intensely as
refereed materials, but they can still be considered scholarly. Section three describes in more
depth how to identify refereed materials.
