Finding information about a specific journal

Students and researchers often need to answer various questions about scholarly journals, such as whether it’s peer reviewed and information about the journal’s editorial policy, submission policy, and scope and focus.

Two of the best ways to answer these questions are to check out the journal’s website and to look the journal up in the Ulrich’s database.

Ulrich’s database

Ulrich’s International Periodicals Directory, or UlrichsWeb, is a library database that provides bibliographic and access information for newspapers, magazines, and journals published in the United States and internationally. It also distinguishes peer reviewed or refereed journals from popular magazines and trade journals.

Once in the Ulrich’s database, search for the title of a journal. In the search results, you should see the journal you’re interested in. Select the correct journal. There might be multiple versions of a journal with the same title. This is often the case when online and print versions exist, or the journal has changed publishers. 

When you click on the journal title, check the description and make sure it relates to what your journal article is about. If you need to know whether the journal is peer reviewed, look for the term "refereed." You will see that you can find out a lot of other information about a journal, such as who publishes it, if it’s been published under other names, and links to its website.

Journal’s website

It is also helpful to go directly to the journal's website for information about editorial and submission policies. Search Google using the name of the journal.

It may be difficult to find submission information and editorial policies on the homepage for the journal. Look for About, Contact, Instructions to Authors, Author Guidelines, or Contribute links.