What is a journal?
- Journals contain articles written by researchers, professors and other experts on a specific subject. The information is up-to-date and most journal articles have original research.
- Journals (also known as periodicals or serials) are published on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly, yearly etc.).
- Some journals are scholarly and can be called "peer reviewed" or "refereed".
- Each copy of a journal is an "issue'. A set of issues makes a "volume" (usually each year is a separate volume).
- Journals may be in print but most journals and their articles are now online.
What is Peer Reviewed?
A peer-reviewed article has been reviewed by several other experts in the field. This is a checking process to ensure the article meets a high academic standard.
Journals are intended for an academic audience. Newspapers and popular magazines are intended for general readers.
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You can use the Journal title or the ISSN to find out if a journal is peer reviewed.
Referencing Journal Articles
What is a DOI?
A DOI, or digital object identifier, is the method of identifying online material such as journal articles, books and reports. It provides a persistent unique link to the electronic form of the document and is made up of letters and numbers.
See more definitions at our Glossary.
To learn more about DOIs visit our Referencing Guide:
This guide has specific examples of referencing journal articles in APA 7th style as well as general guidance about formatting. You can download a quick guide introducing APA 7th referencing and there is information about how the Library can assist you with your referencing questions.