Research is a rigorous process that requires the researcher’s control and patience. This rigorousness enables the article to maintain its quality and reputation. In order to maintain such a high quality of the research article, the researcher is expected to have some form of control over the data as well as methodology that is used (Rocco & Hatcher, 2011). Accuracy is an important characteristic of a research article. It is an important feature because without it, the article cannot be regarded as valid or generalizable. The researcher is expected to verify the accuracy in every phase of the research. It is advisable that when the researcher is conducting a review of his literature, he pens down the references together with the literature review so that when coming up with those reviews, he can competently write the reference of each of the reviews (Rocco & Hatcher, 2011).
A research article is expected to be absent of any kinds of ambiguities and should also have significant clarity. Clarity is often regarded as one of the principle essences of any research and without it the article cannot be admissible as a viable source in subsequent researches that touch on the same topic. As a qualified researcher, one does not need to add a lot of material to an article to make it interesting or unique rather, only original and relevant content should be added to increase the richness of the content (Stebbins, 2006). A concise research article devoid of unneeded information is easier to understand. Any data that is included in the research article ought to be provable and backed. The information should not contain any loopholes that have not been properly explained (Stebbins, 2006).
Scholarly work can be identified by looking at the work in the available periodical that is sponsored or published by a scholarly organization or society. Scholarly articles often list an editorial board at the beginning of each issue. A characteristic that scholarly articles share with other academic articles is having a list of references or bibliography at the end. On the other hand, a peer-reviewed article can be identified by observing its database. Peer reviewed article limits its database to peer reviewed journals only (Rocco & Hatcher, 2011). A simpler way, however, can be through checking it up on ulrichsweb.com to know whether the journal is flagged as being peer-reviewed. In case it is not available in the stated library, its official website will state whether it is peer reviewed. An editorial or commentary differs from a peer-reviewed article. A peer-reviewed article is appraised by more than one scholar that is qualified in the particular subject matter that is discussed in the article. On the other hand, a commentary or editorial is done by a single author and is not appraised by independent scholars. This therefore explains why academic institutions only take into consideration peer reviewed articles when it comes to tenure and hiring of staff members (Rocco & Hatcher, 2011).
The article by Hiroshi Egusa titled Stem Cells in dentistry is a good example of a peer-reviewed article. The article contains a list of references or bibliography at the end of it outlining the sources that the author referred to in coming up with the paper. The article is also clear and concise in its presentation and is devoid of any ambiguities.
References
Rocco, T. S., & Hatcher, T. (2011). The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Stebbins, L. F. (2006). Student guide to research in the digital age: How to locate and evaluate information sources. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.