Elements Contained in Peer Reviewed Articles

Peer-reviewed articles are valuable sources of scholarly information. They provide quality, objective, and accurate information on various topics. This is achieved by subjecting the articles to rigorous scrutiny by peer researchers, hence the name peer-reviewed. Though there are variations in how research articles are formatted, there are standardised elements that appear in every article irrespective of the format. A peer-reviewed article must on the minimum have a title, details of the author(s), an abstract, an introduction, a literature review section, a methodology section, a results section, a discussion and conclusion section, footnotes or in-text references, and a list of references or bibliography. This paper analyses the extent to which three selected journal articles conform to these elements. The selected articles relate to the subject of total quality management (TQM).
Oschman, J. (2017). The role of strategic planning in implementing a total quality management framework: An empirical review. Quality Management Journal, 24(2), 41-53.
Title
A peer-reviewed article should have a title. The title is indeed the most visible element in the first page of the article. It offers a basic summary or overview of the central theme in the article. A good title should give an idea of the main topic, the variables the article focuses on, as well as the relationship between the variables (Paltridge, 2017). The title of the first article selected is: “The role of strategic planning in implementing a total quality management framework: An empirical review.” The title of the article is clearly visible. It quickly informs the reader that TQM is the main idea under investigation, and suggests a relationship between TQM and strategic planning.
Author Details
Details of the author(s) help readers confirm the credibility of the author, especially in terms of research experience and knowledge of the subject matter (Richler & Gauthier, 2017). Author details include not only the names of the author(s), but also their contact, academic credentials, and institutional affiliation. The article is authored by Jacobus Johannes Oschman, who is affiliated to the University of South Africa. In the last page of the article, the biography of the author is presented. The author is a professor in the field of operations management, and boasts 30 years of experience in TQM research and practice. Contact details of the author are also provided. The details provided indicate that the author is credible and extensively knowledgeable on the subject matter.
Abstract
The abstract offers a short (often one paragraph), comprehensive summary of the article’s contents. A good abstract should give the reader a quick overview of the article even without reading the rest of the content (Richler & Gauthier, 2017). The abstract should capture the background of the topic, the purpose of the study, the methodology used, participants and setting, findings, conclusions derived, and implications of the study. Though there is no section labelled “Abstract” in Oschman’s (2017) article, a summary is offered as the first paragraph of the article. The summary clearly states the purpose of the study (examine the role of strategic planning in TQM implementation), methodology used (survey), participants and setting (managers in eight South African Air Force bases), as well as findings, conclusions, and implications of the study.
Introduction
The introduction section is the first part of the body of the article. It provides a background of the problem and its significance, objectives or hypotheses of the study, a brief description of the research design, the theoretical and practical significance of the study, as well as the organisation of the article (Paltridge, 2017). Oschman’s (2017) article has all the crucial aspects of an introduction. The introduction effectively introduces the reader to the topic and evidently mentions gaps in literature and the purpose of the study.
Literature Review
Literature review is basically a summary of theory as well as other researchers’ findings on the topic under investigation. A good literature review not only summarises, but also synthesizes literature (Robson, Pitt & West, 2015). It provides a critical examination of the literature, clearly identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the literature. The literature review section also identifies gaps in literature and states how the present article seeks to fill the gaps. Some articles have a separate literature review section, while others incorporate it in the introduction. In Oschman’s (2017) article, the literature review section stands on its own. The section is well organised, clearly and critically summarising theory and extant literature on TQM. The section ends by stating how the study intends to demonstrate the link between TQM and strategic planning.
Methodology
The methodology section describes and justifies the processes and procedures employed in conducting the study. Major aspects included in the methodology section include target population, sampling process, materials used, as well as data collection and analysis procedures (Robson, Pitt & West, 2015). All these facets are unambiguously described in Oschman’s (2017) article.
Results and Analysis
The findings of the study are summarized and presented in the results and analysis section. How the results are presented usually depends on the nature of the study. The techniques used range from tables and figures to descriptive statements and statistical analyses (Paltridge, 2017). Oschman’s (2017) study was quantitative in nature. Accordingly, quantitative techniques (e.g. graphs, frequencies, percentages, and tables) have been used to present the findings of the study. Compared to most articles, however, the results section presents both the findings of the study and interpretation.
Discussion and Conclusion
The discussion section interprets the findings of the study with respect to the objectives or hypotheses of the study as well as existing literature (Richler & Gauthier, 2017). The major focus of this section is to discuss the contribution of the study to existing knowledge, limitations of the study, as well as its implications on practice, research, and policy. In Oschman’s (2017) article, there is no separate section for discussion – findings are discussed in the results section. Instead, there is a conclusion section, which summarises the findings of the study, their strengths and limitations, and their relevance for theory, research, and practice.
Footnotes/In-text References
A peer-reviewed article should also include in-text references. In-text references indicate the source of information quoted in the body of the article (Richler & Gauthier, 2017). Depending on the referencing style used, the citations may be in the form of either footnotes or in-text citations. There is clear evidence of in-text citations throughout the body of Oschman’s (2017) article.
References/Bibliography
The references or bibliography is usually the last section of a peer-reviewed article. This section lists all the works cited in the article. The list should be consistent with in-text references. In other words, all in-text references must have a corresponding entry in the references section. Additionally, the list of references should be in alphabetical order. Oschman’s (2017) article fulfils these criteria.


Liu, J. (2016). The study of total quality management and job satisfaction in land authority from North Taiwan. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 8(4), 43-63.
Title
The title of the second article selected is: “The study of total quality management and job satisfaction in land authority from North Taiwan.” The title unambiguously indicates the main idea and the variables under investigation (TQM and job satisfaction).
Author Details
The author of the article is Jung Tsun Liu, who is affiliated to Chang Jung Christian University’s Institute of Management. Apart from contact details and institutional affiliation, no other details about the author are provided. This presents difficulty in establishing the author’s credibility and degree of knowledge of the subject matter.
Abstract
The abstract is clearly labelled. It summarises the background of the problem, gaps in research, purpose of the study, methodology used (survey), participants (employees of land authority), results, and conclusion.
Introduction and Literature Review
Compared to Oschman’s (2017) article, Liu’s (2016) article presents the introduction and literature review together. The introduction is quite comprehensive, clearly highlighting the problem under investigation, previous research on the topic, gaps in research, and purpose of the study (to explore the usefulness of TQM in enhancing employee satisfaction).
Methodology
The methodology section, labelled as “Materials and Methods,” describes the design of the study, variables of the study, how the variables were measured, participants and setting, and data analysis procedures. Nonetheless, the section is a bit disorganised.

Results
Liu’s (2016) study was also quantitative in nature. The statistical techniques used to analyse the data are clearly mentioned in the results section. The section presents the findings using tables summarising aspects such as regression results, standard deviation, and statistical significance. Interpretation of findings has been offered in the results section.
Discussion and Conclusion
Similar to Oschman’s (2017) article, Liu’s (2016) article does not have a separate section for discussion of results – findings are discussed in the results section. The conclusion section summarises the findings of the study, though implications for research, policy, and practice are not clearly mentioned.
Footnotes/In-text References References/Bibliography
There is clear evidence of in-text citations throughout the body of Liu’s (2016) article. Also, the list of references is provided at the end of the article in alphabetical order.
Jaca, C., & Psomas, E. (2015). Total quality management practices and performance outcomes in Spanish service companies. Total Quality Management, 26(9), 958-970.
Title
The title of the final article is: “Total quality management practices and performance outcomes in Spanish service companies.” The title clearly gives an idea of the main topic and variables of study (TQM and performance outcomes).
Author Details
The article was authored by Carmen Jaca and Evangelos Psomas. Carmen is affiliated to University of Navarra’s Industrial Management Department, while Evangelos is affiliated to University of Patras’s Department of Business Administration of Food and Agricultural Enterprises. Contact details and research experience of the authors are not provided.

Abstract
Similar to Oschman’s (2017) article, Jaca & Psomas’s (2015) article does not have a section labelled “Abstract.” However, a one-paragraph summary is offered at the first page of the article. The summary describes the focus and purpose of the study, methodology used (survey), participants and setting (72 Spanish service companies), measurement models used, data analysis procedures employed, as well as findings and conclusions of the study
Introduction
The introduction gives the reader a comprehensive background of the problem. It describes the problem, gaps in research, the contribution of the present study to existing knowledge, and the structure of the paper.
Literature Review
The literature review section provides the theoretical background of the study and extant literature on TQM and performance outcomes. A major difference between the literature review section in Jaca & Psomas’s (2015) article and the other two articles is that the former includes hypotheses of the study.
Methodology
The methodology section in Jaca & Psomas’s (2015) article describes questionnaire development, the sample used, and data analysis procedures.
Results
The results section presents the findings of the study using both descriptive and inferential statistics.
Discussion and Conclusion
Unlike the first two articles, Jaca & Psomas’s (2015) article has a separate section for discussion of results. The section interprets the findings of the study, clearly comparing them with previous studies. Jaca & Psomas’s (2015) article also has a separate section for conclusion, which summaries the findings and practical implications of the study. In addition, there is a separate section for study limitations and recommendations
Footnotes/In-text References and References/Bibliography
There is clear evidence of in-text citations throughout the body of Jaca & Psomas’s (2015) article. Also, the list of references is provided at the end of the article in alphabetical order.
Conclusion
Overall, the three selected articles conform to the standard criteria of peer-reviewed articles. Though there are slight differences in formatting, the articles include a title, author details, an abstract, an introduction, a review of literature, findings, interpretation of findings, conclusion, in-text references, and a list of references.





References
Jaca, C., & Psomas, E. (2015). Total quality management practices and performance outcomes in Spanish service companies. Total Quality Management, 26(9), 958-970.
Liu, J. (2016). The study of total quality management and job satisfaction in land authority from North Taiwan. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 8(4), 43-63.
Oschman, J. (2017). The role of strategic planning in implementing a total quality management framework: An empirical review. Quality Management Journal, 24(2), 41-53.
Paltridge, B. (2017). The discourse of peer review: Reviewing submissions to academic journals. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Richler, J., & Gauthier, I. (2017). The peer review process; Using the traditional system to its full potential. In M. Makel and J. Plucker (eds.), Toward a More Perfect Psychology: Improving Trust, Accuracy, and Transparency in Research. U.S.: American Psychological Association, pp. 119-130.
Robson, K., Pitt, L., & West, D. (2015). Navigating the peer-review process: Reviewers’ suggestions for a manuscript. Journal of Advertising Research, 9-17.