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Find Scholarly Articles A "scholarly article" is a peer-reviewed research article from a journal. Peer-review refers to the acceptance process of review by other experts (the author's peers) to make sure that the research is sound and unbiased. Research articles usually have these sections: abstract/summary, research methods, data, conclusion, and works cited/bibliography. Even "scholarly" journals have content that is not appropriate for some research, such as letters to the editor, book reviews, and commentary, so talk to your instructor about your sources. Peer-review should not be the only factor in determining a good source! See Frequently Asked Questions about sources.
If you want a magazine article, go to information about POPULAR sources.
Top Three Places to Start Your Research
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| Pros | The majority of JSTOR content is classified as "peer-reviewed". | At more than more than 3,700 peer-reviewed titles, this is the broadest database. | Allows you to look at all the available databases and make your own choice. |
| Cons | As an archive database, publishers do not release recent issues to it. There will be a gap of anywhere from 1 to 10 years. | Also contains many periodicals that are NOT peer-reviewed. You must be sure to limit to peer-reviewed when searching. | Many subject specific databases also contain periodicals that are NOT peer-reviewed. Look for ways to limit to peer-reviewed when searching. |
| Subjects covered | JSTOR is good for most topics, especially: business, history, English literature, and science. | Good for all topics. | Of our 70 databases, about 20 are specific to a subject or field. |
Frequently Asked Questions/Problems
"Don't you have any journals in print that I can look through?" Our print periodical collection starts on the Mezzanine level 2, and wraps around down to the 1st floor. It is organized in alphabetical order by title. Browsing can be a great way to find information, if you learn how to do it effectively. Find out the major journal titles for your field from an instructor or a librarian. Learn how to find the Table of Contents section, and how to identify the abstract of each article. Skimming abstracts is a quick way to figure out if the article is useful or not.
"I can't use databases because my instructor says that my articles have to come from a journal, not the Internet." All items in our article databases have been previously published in print. They are "real" journal articles. Most instructors who say "no Internet" have no problem accepting articles from a database. The instructors who limit students to printed issues often do it as a one-time exercise, and will accept database results for later assignments. DOUBLE-CHECK with your instructor to be sure you understand the purpose and requirements of the assignment!
"I can't see how to get to the full text of this article." Many database results are "Citation Only" and do not include full text. Select the "full text" limit in your database searching to avoid getting citation only results. When you do get a citation, you can either request full text through Interlibrary Loan, or you can check to see if another database has the full text using the Find Text for My Citation search. Ask a librarian for assistance.
Tips for Students Working on Research Papers
-- Even if the journal is peer-reviewed, not every item in it will make a good source for a research paper. ASK your instructor if it is acceptable to use book reviews, letters to the editor, or editorial commentary. Otherwise, assume that you should stick to research articles.
-- Keep in mind that as a college student, you are not the intended audience of a journal article. Research articles are usually written assuming the reader has wide knowledge of a subject or years of experience in the field. Most are written very formally and with vocabulary that you may not be used to. Getting introduced to this type of writting, and learning to intrepret and critique it is a part of your college education. Allow more time than you think necessary to read and work through scholarly articles, and don't let it frustrate you!
-- Academic Honesty goes beyond making sure that that you cite and quote properly. You should not write your paper first based on your own opinions and then "stick in" quotes from articles. Sources should inform your research process, and cause you to think and react in original ways. Not engaging your sources is a shortcut that is academically dishonest to the research process.
Updated: 12 March 2008 | seriggs@campbellsville.edu