What is peer-review?
What is peer-review, and why does it matter?
Peer-reviewed information resources - such as scholarly articles and monographs (books) - reflect an author's expertise and validated credibility. Put simply, peer-review is the rigorous evaluation of one's research/work (such as your professor's research) by one or more people who possess similar knowledge and expertise. These are called peers, hence the term peer-review. Research in scholarly disciplines, such as film and media studies, are a discursive practice where ideas are formulated, debated, and weighed against one another over extended periods of time. These ideas and arguments are reviewed by communities of experts before they are published in academic journals or by book publishers, such as university presses.
What is peer-review, and why does it matter?
Peer-reviewed information resources - such as scholarly articles and monographs (books) - reflect an author's expertise and validated credibility. Put simply, peer-review is the rigorous evaluation of one's research/work (such as your professor's research) by one or more people who possess similar knowledge and expertise. These are called peers, hence the term peer-review. Research in scholarly disciplines, such as film and media studies, are a discursive practice where ideas are formulated, debated, and weighed against one another over extended periods of time. These ideas and arguments are reviewed by communities of experts before they are published in academic journals or by book publishers, such as university presses.
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Example of a Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal
Example of a Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal
Television & New Media is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the field of communication. The journal's editors are Diane Negra and Jonathan Corpus Ong. It has been in publication since 2000.
Example of Scholarly Article published in Television & New Media
Example of Scholarly Article published in Television & New Media
Bodroghkozy, Aniko. “Negotiating Civil Rights in Prime Time: A Production and Reception History of CBS’s East Side/West Side.” Television & New Media, vol. 4, no. 3, SAGE Publications, Aug. 2003, p. 257–82, doi:10.1177/1527476403253981.
Scholarship, at its core, is simply a conversation!
When you begin reading a scholarly article or book chapter, what you are doing is entering into an ongoing scholarly conversation (and not a finished one). It might feel overwhelming and complex as a novice scholar, but you can position yourself as a contributor to this dialogue rather than remaining a consumer of it! Seeking out these conversations taking place in your research area, citing the work of experts in your own writing, and recognizing that a given scholarly work in itself may not represent the only perspective on the issue are all good starting points. This is especially important to consider as you look for resources and pay attention to things like when the work was published, as theories, methods, and world-views evolve over time.
Scholarship, at its core, is simply a conversation!
When you begin reading a scholarly article or book chapter, what you are doing is entering into an ongoing scholarly conversation (and not a finished one). It might feel overwhelming and complex as a novice scholar, but you can position yourself as a contributor to this dialogue rather than remaining a consumer of it! Seeking out these conversations taking place in your research area, citing the work of experts in your own writing, and recognizing that a given scholarly work in itself may not represent the only perspective on the issue are all good starting points. This is especially important to consider as you look for resources and pay attention to things like when the work was published, as theories, methods, and world-views evolve over time.
Information inspired from the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for higher Education.
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