Checklist - Here are some things to look for when attempting to determine if an article you have found is peer-reviewed original research:

Database Search Limiters:
If you used EBSCOhost, did you limit your search to "Scholarly (Peer-Reviewed) Journals?" If you used ProQuest, did you limit your search to "peer-reviewed"?

Note: After applying the peer-reviewed search limiter, you still have to look at the article itself to evaluate it.

Peer reviewed journals publish both peer reviewed research articles and articles that are NOT peer reviewed. For example, some opinion pieces, editorials, book reviews are not peer reviewed. Since databases such as EBSCO and ProQuest apply the filter at the journal level, we need to examine the features of the article itself to determine if it is an empirical research study.

Multiple Authors (usually):
Does it have more than one author listed? Although some peer-reviewed articles may have a single author it is more common for there to be multiple authors - original research takes a lot of workers!
Author Affiliation:
Are the authors' affiliations provided at the beginning or end of the article? Their affiliation is where they work, typically a university or research institution.
Article Length:
Is the article more than 2 pages in length? You may find some peer-reviewed articles that are 3-5 pages, but they are usually much longer.
Abstract:
Does the article include an abstract written by the authors? This should appear at the beginning.
Indicator Words:
Does the abstract include indicator words such as “the present study …. examined …measured … identified ...results indicated?” All of these tell you that this is a report on original research.
Article Sections:
If you open the article does it have sections for an introduction, methods, results, discussion?
Illustrations:
Are there illustrations? Research results are frequently reported with charts, graphs, tables, drawings and photographs of specimens.
Submission and Acceptance Dates:
At the end or the beginning, does it include the dates when the article was submitted and accepted for publication?
References:
Are there lots of references at the end of the article? Some peer-reviewed articles have several pages of references.