Improve Your Blog Posts With Peer Reviewed Articles

Image via Wikipedia

There is a lot of junk in blogsphere and not every post is vetted and thoroughly reviewed.  Unfortunately, there is not always a clear line drawn between opinion and fact.  To assist in production of high quality articles or blog posts I recommend using a peer reviewed article as a source.

What is a peer reviewed article?

In the world of academia peer reviewed journals are similar to blogs written by trusted writers. Peer reviewed journals undertake rigorous protocols in the selection and publishing of articles.  Drafts of articles undergo critical review and assessment by other scholars in the author’s field before they are accepted for publication.  This process is similar to the way in which a blog post is scrutinized.

For example, when a writer publishes a post on his blog, the blog’s readers weigh in (or comment) on the post.  Whether positive or negative – the feedback either supports or disproves what the writer has written.  Such is the process of the peer review, also known as refereeing. The reviewers are frequently not employed directly by the journal which helps to ensure objectivity and neutrality.

How to Find Peer Reviewed Articles

Google Scholar is a free bibliographic database that indexes scholarly texts, including peer-reviewed online journals.  Google Scholar does not require users to a subscribe or pay a fee.  Google Scholar allows users to search for digital or physical copies of articles, whether they be online or in libraries.

As a current PhD student at Walden University, I religiously use Google Scholar to research articles and publications for my assignments and papers.  I find it user-friendly, accurate, and concise.  One of the features that I continuously take advantage of is the link on the citation that lists other publications that cited the article in question.  This allows me to see the popularity of the article and how other writers have utilized the information in the article, and sometimes guide me down different research paths that I have not considered.

How do I know is an article has Been Peer Reviewed?

I order to figure out of an article has been peer-reviewed or not you have to research the journal that published the article.  The simple way to accomplish this would be to visit the journal’s website.  Once you locate the publication’s website, locate the article submission section. This section will outline the guidelines for article submission which normally states whether the publication participates in the peer review process.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

When and if you do use a peer reviewed article in a blog post, give credit to the author. You can reference the article used, provide a link to the publication, or place a footnote at the end of your post. Citing a peer reviewed article can provide truth and credibility to your posts – which every writer can use.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Social media is changing the shape of scientific debate
• Online peer review supplements, doesn’t replace real thing
• Google Search Results Show Metadata for Scientific Papers

Private Mircoblogging with Edmodo

I recently stumbled upon the most fantastic micro-blogging website for teachers and students Called Edmodo.

Here is an excerpt of the post on the Edmodo blog:

What is Edmodo?
Edmodo is a private microblogging platform developed for use in the classroom by teachers and students. Edmodo provides teachers and students the ability to share notes, links, and files to foster communication inside and outside of the classroom. Teachers also have the ability to post alerts, assignments, and events to share with their students.

Who runs Edmodo?
Currently Edmodo is owned, operated, & funded by Jeff O’Hara & Nic Borg.  Jeff is a network administrator/webmaster for Community Unit School District 200 in Wheaton, Illinois. He also blogs at http://blog.zemote.com.  Nic is the webmaster/web developer for Kaneland Community Unit School District 302 in Maple Park, Illinois.

Here is a screenshot of the page that I created for the students in my Business Management course at heritage College.

Social Networking Sites: An Introspective on Concept-Dependent Social Phenomenon

Dr. Sayer author of Method in Social Science: A Realist Approach

Concept-dependent social phenomenon as described by Andrew Sayer in Method of Social Science, is the ideal that “practices, institutions, rules, roles or relationships in society are depends on what they mean in society to its members.”  In our emerging Internet-dependent society, social networking sites are heavily relied upon to connect and network with other members of society who share common interests, lifestyles, goals, professions, etc.

Peter Winch, has argued that the “essential feature of social institutions is that  individuals have a knowledge of more or less tacit constitutive rules concerning not only what can and cannot be done but how things should be done.”

I am really amazed by the proliferation of these sites into mainstream, society, media, and even the world of business. For example, more and more news outlets, such as CNN have a YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and Twitter account. These are all social networking sites that are aimed at bringing together members from around the globe in an effort to collaborate and share information. The understanding or known meaning as Sayer terms it, is that the members of the above social networking sites understand that the site’s goal is to provide a platform for which sharing is the intended behavior.

I was partly influenced by Chris Brogan’s post today and partly influenced by my discussion question for a class that I am taking, “Human Inquiry and Science” in which my professor, Dr. Flor asked the class to, “Give and explain an example from your own area of interest of a concept-dependent social phenomenon, after reading the first Chapter of Sayer’s Method of Social Science.

I have eagerly consumed the intricacies of social media marketing and its skyrocket to popularity in main-stream media.  We are greatly affected by this phenomenon, and anyone that is not connected in any shape or form, will soon be left left behind and forgotten.

That’s just my introspective thought for today. It’s Friday, maybe I have too much information stored in one place!

UPDATE:  I have posted a new article with relevant academic journal articles on concept-dependent social phenomenon, read it here.