What is a Peer-reviewed Journal?
A “peer-reviewed” or “refereed” journal is a scholarly journal which has an independent editorial board or panel of experts
who judge the quality of a submitted article. The editorial Board/expert determine acceptance, rejection, or revision-required
of all articles the journal publishes. (Revision-acceptance process can take up to a year). Authors are identied experts who
use professional/technical language directed at knowledgeable readers. Publishers are usually professional organizations or
research institutions or organizations. The review is typically “blind,” meaning the reviewers do not know the name(s) of the
authors. Sometimes the review is “double blind” meaning the names of the reviewers are not known, either. Such journals can
be identied by “Instructions to Authors” at the beginning or end of the journal or by other editorial statements. Some journals
actually state they are “peer-reviewed.” For instance, Physical Therapy in its mission statement identies the journal as “...
international, scholarly, peer-reviewed....” Another example is “... American Family Physician, a peer-reviewed journal of
the American Academy of Family Physicians.” The purpose of such journals is to publish high-quality work which contributes
reliable information to the eld.
Typically there is a formal format such as the following:
• Abstract (short summary);
• Keywords;
• Introduction which states the problem, need for the research work, and the research question;
• Literature review (this work is placed in the context of the body of knowledge);
• Methodology;
• Data including graphs, tables and charts;
• Analysis (including statistics);
• Conclusions;
• Recommendations for further research; and
• References/Bibliography (often extensive, and refer to footnotes).
To nd out if a journal is peer-reviewed, consult Ulrich’s International Periodicals Directory through your library.
Sources for more information:
- http://www.library.uiuc.edu/alx/peer.htm
- http://www.library.uiuc.edu/orr/get.php?instid=258215 (for Ulrich’s, but must go through a library)
- http://valnor.ca/peer-review.html
Writing Behavioral and Measurable Objectives
Google Bloom’s Taxonomy on the web. There are many options if you are unfamiliar with this taxonomy.
One URL is: http://www.nwlink.com-donclark/hrd/bloom.html.
Low-level objectives, e.g., “list,” are not consistent with postprofessional education for physical therapists. Use active verbs at
the higher levels in all domains (cognitive, psychomotor, affective) as appropriate. Words like “understand,” “know,” “learn” are
not behavioral and measurable in and of themselves. They are reected in the verbs which state what the learner will be able
to do or demonstrate at the end of a learning experience.
Examples of Behavior and Measurable Objectives -
At the end of this course the participant will be able to:
• Differentiate chemical and mechanical pain (cognitive domain)
• Design an individualized home treatment program based on the tests and measures obtained and evaluated results
(cognitive domain)
• Teach the patient a progressive, individualized home program based on the above (psychomotor domain)
• Identify indications and contraindication for applying this advanced intervention (cognitive domain)
• Demonstrate appropriate handling techniques (psychomotor domain)
• Appreciate patient resistance associated with termination of treatment (affective domain).
