Peer-reviewed literature : publishing new knowledge

journal articles | dissertations | academic books and book chapters

Description: Peer-reviewed literature (sometimes called refereed publications) are scholarly works that generally represent the latest original research in the field. Much of it is published by professional associations. (American Sociological Review (pictured above), for example, is published by, and is the official journal of, the American Sociological Association.)

Lee Shulman, President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has explained, "For an activity to be designated as scholarship, it should manifest at least three key characteristics: It should be public, susceptible to critical review and evaluation, and accessible for exchange and use by other members of one's scholarly community. We thus observe, with respect to all forms of scholarship, that they are acts of mind or spirit that have been made public in some manner, have been subjected to peer review by members of one's intellectual or professional community, and can be cited, refuted, built upon, and shared among members of that community. Scholarship properly communicated and critiqued serves as the building block for knowledge growth in a field."

The terms peer review and refereeing refer to the process of screening scholarly writing before it is approved for publication. The reviewers are other Sociology researchers and they evaluate material submitted according to such criteria as:
Significance -- is the research reasonably significant within the context of other research in the discipline? Does it have a meaningful connection to the current knowledge base? Does it increase our understanding of a set of critical questions related to a line of Sociological inquiry? How?
Sound methodology -- is the method by which these data were gathered consistent with typical and accepted practice within the discipline?

Approval for publication does not necessarily mean the research findings are true. They are considered authoritative evidence for a claim and validation typically comes as the findings are further analyzed and tested or reexamined in varying or applied contexts.

Types of peer-reviewed literature

Journals
Articles in journals are written by Sociology scholars and target other scholars in the field as their audience. Journal articles represent the latest empirical findings and theoretical debates within the discipline. They are especially important to sociologists who represent the discipline's more scientific, quantitative emphases, while much of the qualitative research tends to be published in books.

Dissertations
Dissertations are reports of original research performed by Sociology graduate students for advanced degrees. The peer review process, in this case, is conducted by a panel of faculty who must approve the methodology and findings before granting a degree. A small number of dissertations are later revised and published by university presses or commercial publishers, sometimes under modified or expanded titles.

Academic books and book chapters
Books are the preferred medium of publication for researchers representing the discipline's more qualitative research methods. Academic or scholarly books may be published by almost any publishing house, but tend to come from university presses or scholarly divisions of larger commercial publishers (e.g. McGraw-Hill). Some books are compilations of essays organized around a specific theme or concept. Each chapter is written by a different scholar and devoted to a topic related to that theme or concept.

 
STRENGTHS———
  • These sources represent the authoritative voice of most sociological research.
  • Because journal articles can be published and distributed more rapidly than books, they are a better source for research on issues of current interest.
  • Articles typically include substantial bibliographies and references to other literature related to a research topic.

 
CONSIDERATIONS—
  • Typically employ more technical and academic vocabularies that may require more understanding of the field on the part of the reader.
  • Some articles may require background or summary reading for context and clarification.
  • Journals are typically not available at newsstands and must be accessed by subscription or through academic and research libraries.

Examples of finding aids for peer-reviewed literature

Journal articles

Sociological Abstracts UW access only
Contains abstracts of international journal literature in Sociology and related disciplines from approximately 2,500 journals published from 1963 until the present. Coverage includes Anthropology, Communication, Economics, Education, Medicine, Community Development, Philosophy, Demography, Political Science, and Social Psychology.

Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), 1975-present
A multidisciplinary database, with searchable author abstracts and cited references, covering the journal literature of the social sciences. It indexes 1,700 social science journals, plus individually selected, relevant items from over 3,300 scientific and technical journals.
Search the Social Science Citation Index via Web of Science >> UW access only

UW Libraries Sociology Resources
For articles: Explore UW Libraries Sociology indexes >> UW access only
For entire electronic journals: Explore UW Libraries electronic journal subscriptions >> UW access only

Dissertations

Sociology dissertations
UW Sociology dissertations are shelved in Suzzallo at call number HM 15 Th. They can also be searched by author, title, subject, or keyword in the UW Libraries Catalog. Sociology dissertations from other universities and colleges can be searched using Dissertations Abstracts International. With few exceptions, dissertations from other universities cannot be borrowed by outsiders, but may be purchased from University Microfilms International in Ann Arbor, MI.
Search the UW Libraries Catalog for Sociology dissertations by call number>>
Search ProQuest Digital Dissertations for other Sociology dissertations >>

Academic books
Academic books can be found in the UW Libraries Catalog, the complete collection of the University Libraries' across 3 campuses. Special note should be paid to the option of searching the Summit catalog, a combined catalog of 31 colleges and universities in Washington and Oregon, extending the on-site collection by hundreds of thousands of titles -- books, periodicals, and other materials. Identifying academic titles can often be accomplished by noting the publisher and finding out about its editorial policies. Use the online Publishers' Catalogues for this information.
Search the UW Libraries Catalog >>
Search Publishers' Catalogues >>

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