Page 1 of 4 Cognitive Psychology ©2011 Argosy Usniversity Online Programs Peer-Reviewed Article Psychology professors often speak about peer-reviewed articles. In fact, your instructors require you to cite peer-reviewed article articles in your research papers. But what exactly is a peer-reviewed article? And why are articles in these journals so important to study? A peer-reviewed article is an article chosen for publication by an editorial board consisting of PhD professional psychologists and/or clinical experts. Why should their opinions matter so much in determining which articles see the light of publication? The psychologists on the editorial board are experts in the field. They are knowledgeable about theories, methodology, and the science of psychology. Many of these experts have devoted their lives to reading broadly and deeply into issues of psychology or have developed a specialty within the field. Very few people know as much as or more than they do about the field. When a team of experts such as this reads a study and deems it worthy of publication, it means that, in the collective estimation of these top professionals in the field of psychology, the study is based on sound science and addresses a current and pressing issue or problem in the field. Such a study has:  A clear statement of purpose.  A clear understanding of prior research on the topic.  A clear research question or questions.  A clear methodological approach to addressing the research problem(s).  A clear demonstration that the methods in the study are reliable and valid.  A clear demonstration that results of the study can be generalized to the wider population.  In qualitative research, where data are not generalized, the study provides clear evidence. Page 2 of 4 Cognitive Psychology ©2011 Argosy University Online Programs 2 Searching for Research Articles Anatomy of a Research Article The most common type of peer-reviewed article is the research article, or paper describing a research study. Authors of research articles follow a prescribed structure as they discuss their studies. As you begin to gather articles for your literature review, you will begin to recognize a common anatomy, or structure, across the articles. This common anatomy makes it easier for us to navigate and understand the articles we read. Research articles are typically organized into the following six (7) sections: 1) Title Page 2) Abstract 3) Introduction 4) Methods 5) Results 6) Discussion 7) References Each of these sections has a unique purpose: 1. The Title Page serves as a cover sheet for the article. It typically includes the title of the paper, the authors’ names, and the university, or institution, at which the research was conducted. 2. The Abstract is a brief summary of the entire research article. It helps us to get a sense of the research question, methods, and findings. 3. The I.

1. Page 1 of 4
Cognitive Psychology
©2011 Argosy Usniversity Online Programs
Peer-Reviewed Article
Psychology professors often speak about peer-reviewed articles.
In fact, your instructors require you to cite
peer-reviewed article articles in your research papers.
But what exactly is a peer-reviewed article? And why are
articles in these journals so important to study? A
peer-reviewed article is an article chosen for publication by an
editorial board consisting of PhD
professional psychologists and/or clinical experts.
Why should their opinions matter so much in determining which
articles see the light of publication? The
psychologists on the editorial board are experts in the field.
They are knowledgeable about theories,
methodology, and the science of psychology. Many of these
experts have devoted their lives to reading
broadly and deeply into issues of psychology or have developed
a specialty within the field. Very few
people know as much as or more than they do about the field.
When a team of experts such as this reads a study and deems it
worthy of publication, it means that, in the
collective estimation of these top professionals in the field of

2. psychology, the study is based on sound
science and addresses a current and pressing issue or problem in
the field. Such a study has:
h to addressing the research
problem(s).
reliable and valid.
generalized to the wider population.
are not generalized, the
study provides clear evidence.
Page 2 of 4
Cognitive Psychology
©2011 Argosy University Online Programs
2
Searching for Research Articles
Anatomy of a Research Article
The most common type of peer-reviewed article is the research
article, or paper describing a research
study. Authors of research articles follow a prescribed structure
as they discuss their studies. As you begin
to gather articles for your literature review, you will begin to

3. recognize a common anatomy, or structure,
across the articles. This common anatomy makes it easier for us
to navigate and understand the articles we
read.
Research articles are typically organized into the following six
(7) sections:
1) Title Page
2) Abstract
3) Introduction
4) Methods
5) Results
6) Discussion
7) References
Each of these sections has a unique purpose:
1. The Title Page serves as a cover sheet for the article. It
typically includes the title of the paper, the
authors’ names, and the university, or institution, at which the
research was conducted.
2. The Abstract is a brief summary of the entire research article.
It helps us to get a sense of the
research question, methods, and findings.
3. The Introduction section provides a review of the relevant
existing research related to the study’s
research question. It is the equivalent of a “literature review.”
We will discuss the nature of literature
reviews more fully later in this lecture. In short, the
Introduction summarizes the history of research

4. related to the study’s question and explains why the current
research study is important and
necessary.
4. The Methods section explains how the study was conducted.
The authors describe the
participants, or “subjects,” how they were selected, and what
the subjects were asked to do in the
study.
5. The Results section describes the findings of the study. The
authors describe the data analysis
and outcome of that analysis.
6. The Discussion section explores the author’s interpretations
of their findings and how those
findings fit in (or not) with existing research in the area of
study. Here, the authors also discuss the
limitations of their own study, as well as suggest future
research that should be done to address the
research question.
7. The References section provides citations of all references or
sources the authors used in the
preparation, design, and interpretation of their study. Readers
often like to use the References
section to get leads on other studies related to the topic of
interest.
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Cognitive Psychology

5. ©2011 Argosy University Online Programs
3
Searching for Research Articles
Literature Review
A literature review is an academic paper that is much like the
Introduction section of a research paper. It
typically includes the following:
1) Title Page
2) Abstract
3) Introduction
4) References
The purpose of a literature review is to provide the reader with
a full summary of the findings in major peer-
reviewed research studies on a given topic. You will complete a
literature review during this course, to be
submitted in Module 5. Your literature review will provide the
reader with a summary of the major research
findings published within the past five (5) years related to your
chosen topic and focal/research question.
A strong literature review provides a summary, as well as a
critique, of each article being reviewed. It
organizes the information according to themes, or subtopics.
Studies’ strengths, weaknesses, and
limitations are covered.

6. The following questions are answered in a strong literature
review:
question? This could be restated as, “What
is my hypothesis?”
-reviewed studies done
already, related to my research
question?
(support) my hypothesis?
support) with my hypothesis?
done? What is known, and what is not yet
known? What needs to be further researched?
For each article you review, you should include the following
information:
method
limitations
the area

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Cognitive Psychology
©2011 Argosy University Online Programs
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Searching for Research Articles
Literature Search
The most important first step when writing a literature review is
to select high-quality, peer-reviewed,
published, research articles related to your focal/research
question. In order to find relevant articles, you
must conduct a “literature search.” The most effective literature
searches are conducted in academic
libraries, either on campus or online.
Argosy’s Online Library
Argosy University’s online library is designed to help you with
your literature search. When you visit the AU
online library, you will find embedded search engines, with
options to select only peer-reviewed articles.
You can specify your search to psychology-related sources only
or to full-text articles only. Any source you
find with this type of search is likely to qualify as a high-
quality, peer-reviewed, published article.

8. With just one click on the Library and Tutoring Services page
within our classroom, you will have access to
hundreds of academic journals, thousands of research articles,
and numerous academic search engines,
including PsychINFO, PsychARTICLES, Psychology Journals,
and the Psychology and Behavioral
Sciences Collection.
For a helpful introduction to the online library:
1) Launch the library when you are logged in to the classroom;
2) Select the tab “Services and Policies” tab; and
3) Click on “Library Introduction.”
Internet-Based Academic Search Engines
Other options for literature searches include the use of Internet-
based search engines, such as Google
Scholar (http://scholar.google.com) and Microsoft Academic
Search
(http://academic.research.microsoft.com/).