Intended for academic research (written BY scholars FOR scholars)
Cite (credible) sources
Published in/as:
Scholarly/Academic Journals (often Peer Reviewed)
Theses or Dissertations
Books or Book Chapters
Intended for a general audience (potentially for a specific demographic or community)
Credibility varies (may not cite sources)
Useful for perspectives, opinions, and very current events
Published in/as:
Newspapers and Magazines (articles, opinions, editorials)
Websites or Blogs
Social Media
Infographics, Online Video, or Podcasts
An abstract is a summary of the article. In addition to introducing the topic, abstracts often include information about research methods and results.
The introduction outlines the author’s plans for the article and can help you determine which parts of the article will be most useful to you. The conclusion section reviews all of the ideas and findings from the rest of the paper.
Topic sentences can help you determine whether that paragraph will include anything relevant to your research, or if you can skim (or skip) it.
Read the rest of the article, skimming through sections that are not relevant to your research.
Need more sources for your assignment?
Citations listed at the end of a scholarly article can be a great place to find additional relevant sources. Use the library’s databases or E-Journal Portal to search for the article or journal titles.
"Peer Review" is a process used to assess articles before publication in a scholarly journal. This process is important because it validates the research and gives it a sort of "seal of approval" from others in the research community.
1. Author submits a research paper
2. Journal Editor sends the article to at least two other researchers or scholars (in the same discipline) for review
3. Reviewers determine if the article should be published based on the quality of the research, including:
4. Author implements changes and resubmits the article
5. Article is published by the scholarly journal
In a library database, click the journal name to see more information about the publication:
On the journal's website, find the page with information for authors and check if the journal requires: