You can check to see if the journal your article is from is Academic/Scholarly and/or Peer-reviewed by using the Index - Ulrichsweb.com, (Remember there are only 5 simultaneous users, so if you can't access the index try again later).
From the library's home page, http://lib.msu.edu click on E-Resources under Quick Links. Under Find Other E-Resources, type in Ulrichsweb and click the GO button.
Then click the Ulrichsweb.com link. Or just click the title link above.
Under "Quick Search" choose "Title" then enter the title of the journal (NOT the title of the article) into the box. Click the "Submit" button.
On the "Search Results" page click on the title of the journal.
Under the heading Document type: it should have Academic/Scholarly.
Under Refereed: it should have Yes.
If a journal is not peer-reviewed it will not have the heading Refereed at all.
The following resources will explain the difference between scholarly and popular articles.
Tips for finding articles in the MSU Libraries
Scholarly vs. Popular - YouTube Video from Georgia State University
The Library Minute: Academic Articles
- from Arizona State University