Scholarly articles are peer-reviewed by professionals in the field and published in scholarly journals. 

Scholarly Articles

Review articles are publications within professional journals that summarize and synthesize previously published research on a specific topic. Instead of presenting new empirical data, they typically introduce novel ways to organize, explain, or interpret existing results, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge in that area.

Review Articles

Double-blind peer review is an evaluation process used by most professional journals to ensure research meets basic field standards before entering the published literature. In this system, researchers submit a manuscript to an editor, who forwards it to expert reviewers; the process is 'double-blind' because the identities of both the researchers and the reviewers are kept strictly concealed from one another. Reviewers provide critical feedback and publication recommendations, which the editor uses to accept, reject, or request revisions for the manuscript.

Double-Blind Peer Review

An empirical research report is a formal article that presents the results of one or more new studies. The standard sections of an empirical research report provide a structured outline for presenting the research, detailing the specific methodology, findings, and conclusions.

Empirical Research Report

A review article summarizes and integrates previously published research on a topic rather than reporting a single new empirical study.

Review Article

In the context of psychological research literature, what key process distinguishes professional journals as a reliable source of information compared to general periodicals?

Professional journals are periodicals that publish original research articles, typically issued on a monthly or quarterly basis in volumes. As a primary component of the research literature, they undergo a rigorous peer review process to ensure quality and primarily feature empirical research reports and review articles.

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- reference resources
- books and e-books
- scholarly peer reviewed journals
- databases
- library catalog
- magazines
- newspapers
- internet


Types of Information Resources

The research literature in any given scientific field consists of all the published research in that area. It primarily includes articles in professional journals and scholarly books, while excluding sources intended for the general public, such as self-help books, dictionary entries, and websites, which lack rigorous peer review.

Research Literature

The final step of the research process is reporting the results, which allows scientists to share their findings with the broader community. The most common methods for disseminating research include publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals, contributing chapters to edited books, and giving presentations at academic conferences.

Reporting Scientific Results

Wikipedia

https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/psychmethods4e/

KPU Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition

Libraries provide users with access to reference resources that are credible records that help fulfill their information needs. 

Reference Resources

Can be used to find current information on a variety of items and opinions from professionals and individuals.


Internet as an Information Resource

Professional Journals

Electronic databases are the principal tools used to search the scientific literature. These computer systems provide a searchable interface for massive collections of academic works—including professional journals and scholarly books—allowing researchers to locate relevant publications across various disciplines by entering specific search terms.

Academic Database

A reference list search is a technique for finding relevant research literature by examining the bibliography of a good article or book chapter on the topic, such as a recent review article. By reviewing the sources cited by that work, researchers can easily discover other pertinent articles and books.

Reference List Search

Google Scholar is a specialized internet search engine that is particularly useful for conducting general web searches to find scientific research literature. Entering topic-related search terms or a specific researcher's name can lead directly to scholarly works, such as articles in open-access journals or publications hosted on researchers' personal websites.

Google Scholar

A citation search is a method of navigating the research literature by locating the database record for a classic, foundational article on a topic, and then linking to a list of newer works that have cited it. This technique is effective because subsequent researchers investigating the same topic are highly likely to reference the original classic article in their own publications.

Citation Search

Consulting knowledgeable individuals, such as instructors or university faculty members, is an effective strategy for searching the research literature. These subject matter experts are familiar with previous research in their area of expertise and can suggest relevant articles, book chapters, and specific topics to help novice researchers find inspiration and locate scholarly sources.

Expert Consultation Search Strategy

When conducting a literature review, researchers should strategically select sources that fulfill four primary objectives: refining the research question, identifying suitable research methods, contextualizing the current study within previous findings, and providing guidance for writing an effective research report.

Goals of a Literature Search

Reviewing the research literature involves finding, reading, and summarizing published research relevant to a specific topic of interest. Conducting this review early in the research process is crucial because it helps researchers determine if their question has already been answered, evaluate the interestingness of the question, generate ideas for study design, and understand how their own work will fit into the existing scientific dialogue.

Reviewing the Research Literature

Sources such as self-help books, pop psychology publications, dictionary and encyclopedia entries, and general websites are excluded from the scientific research literature. These materials are intended mainly for the general public and are considered unreliable for academic purposes because they do not undergo peer review and are frequently based on personal experience or common sense rather than rigorous empirical data.

Non-Scholarly Sources

Another strategy for locating research literature is to consult with knowledgeable individuals, such as instructors or psychology faculty members. These experts can draw upon their familiarity with the field to suggest relevant articles, book chapters, and foundational works related to a specific research topic.

Consulting Faculty for Research Literature

Scholarly books are a core component of the research literature, written by researchers and practitioners primarily for use by their peers. Similar to professional journals, these books typically undergo a rigorous peer review process to ensure their quality and contribute significantly to scientific discourse.

Scholarly Books

Conducting a comprehensive review of existing research literature is a crucial early step in the scientific process. This review serves several key purposes: it helps researchers refine their specific research questions, identifies the most appropriate methodologies for their study, places the new investigation within the broader context of previous findings, and provides the necessary background to write a compelling research report.

Purpose of the Literature Review

PsycINFO is a comprehensive electronic database created by the American Psychological Association (APA). Because it indexes thousands of professional journals and scholarly books dating back over a century, its scope is essentially equivalent to the entire body of research literature in psychology, making it the most critical database for psychological research.

PsycINFO

Which of the following sources is typically included as part of the research literature in psychology?

An alternative method for researchers to report their findings is by writing a chapter for an edited book. While it is ideal for the book's editor to subject the chapter to a rigorous peer-review process, this is not guaranteed, as editors sometimes directly invite scientists to contribute chapters without formal review.

Academic Book Chapter

Publishing a manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal is widely considered the most prestigious method for researchers to share their findings. Before a manuscript is accepted, it undergoes a rigorous evaluation process where other experts in the field anonymously review the work to ensure it meets scientific standards.

Peer-Reviewed Scientific Journal

Professional conferences are key venues where researchers share their findings with colleagues. In psychology, research-focused conferences vary widely in scale, from small afternoon gatherings of a dozen researchers to large, multi-day conventions with thousands of attendees. While participants frequently discuss their work informally, research is officially disseminated through formal presentations, which primarily consist of oral talks and visual poster sessions.

Professional Conferences

Edited volumes are scholarly books in which an editor or an editorial team recruits various authors to write separate chapters on different aspects of a shared topic. While they aim to provide a coherent overview, different chapters may present distinct perspectives or feature authors who openly disagree with one another.

Edited Volumes

Scientific communication is the process of sharing research ideas, methods, results, and interpretations through formats such as journal articles, review articles, professional conferences, and poster sessions.

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