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Research Process: Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals

What is a scholarly article?

Your teacher may have instructed you to research scholarly sources to support your thesis.  What is a scholarly source?

  • An article written by an academic expert (like a university professor or scientist) that has gone through the process of Peer Review
  • Scholarly articles usually have a very narrow, specific focus and go into deep analysis of the topic; scholarly journals can also have a very specific focus (for example, Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Development Law or The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies).
  • They argue a thesis or present and analyze research findings
  • They are written for an audience of other scholars; not the general public. 
  • You might also look for books published by a university press.

What is Peer Review?

The process of peer review is very important in the world of academic publishing.  When an author submits an article to an academic or professional journal, it is evaluated by a body of reviewers who are also scholarly experts in that discipline.  They evaluate the research methods and findings as well as the manner of the presentation.  An article is only published after going through this process, which may involve some revisions.  The peer review process lends credibility to the article or study.

 

Scholarly Databases

Academic OneFile

Provides access to peer-reviewed, full text journal articles in most academic disciplines.

JSTOR

JSTOR is an archive of scholarly writing across academic disciplines. Highly recommended for deeper information gathering in subjects related to the humanities, though STEM-related fields are also represented. Currency varies by journal. You will see this database in college.

EBSCOhost

Search all of the EBSCO databases provided by POWER Library here.

STEM Database

Full-text access to 500 journals and magazines suitable for AP and college-prep science research. Covers earth sciences, life sciences, physical sciences, medical sciences, and applied sciences.

Google Scholar

Google Scholar will help you find citations for scholarly journal articles.  Just be aware that our library may not provide full-text access to all of them, so if you find a citation for a perfect-looking article, ask Ms. Sweeney if it's possible to get it.  Also, nowadays there are lots free open-access online journals.  Some of these are great; others are not respected in their disciplines.  It will be difficult for you to discern this, so use Google Scholar with a critical eye.

6 Google Scholar Tips From its Co-Creator

Google Scholar Search