University of Central Florida Libraries
5/22/2013
http://library.ucf.edu/
If you want to find articles, whether from a magazine, newspaper, or a journal, you will need to use the UCF Libraries' Articles & Databases. The Flash video below will show you how to search the database Academic Search Premier to find journal articles.
From the video you will learn:
This 5 minute video contains audio. Once you are done with the video expand the other sections to learn about scholarly resources.
Your instructor will sometimes tell you to find articles in a scholarly or an academic journal. Those are two names for peer-reviewed or refereed journals. Peer-reviewed journals contain original research articles which have been reviewed by experts in the field who judge the article on many criteria including quality of writing, validity of research and findings, and the relevance of the research. All articles will include of list of sources used.
Some examples of scholarly journals
Popular sources do not publish research articles, although many might summarize research findings or publish investigative articles. Articles from popular magazines are on a wide range of topics and do not go through any review process other than the publication's editor. Usually popular articles do not include reference lists of sources used or in text citations.
Some examples of popular sources:
Your research will be helped immensely if you use articles from peer-reviewed journals. Think of it this way. If you fell and broke your arm and could not get to a doctor, would you rather use information you found in the Journal of the American Medical Association or Time Magazine to mend your broken arm?
So how do you find these academic journals? If you are using Academic Search Premier then the easiest way is to check the box marked "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" on the databases search page.
Last updated August 24, 2012 2:57:25 PM
