How do I find scholarly, peer-reviewed, academic articles and books in the library?
Answer
If you have a research project this semester, you might have to hunt down scholarly articles and books. Frequently this sort of material is not available on the open internet, so a Google search won't find it. You can get a head start by reviewing our Introduction to Library Research guide. Below are some useful tips:
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BOOKS |
ARTICLES |
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1) Look for books in the catalog Use the search box on the library's front page, then filter your results using Physical Items in the Library under Availability, or Books under Resource Type (which will include physical books and ebooks.) |
1) Look for articles in the catalog Use the search box on the library's front page, then use the filters to refine your results. Choose Peer-Reviewed under Availability to restrict your search to peer-reviewed articles. |
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2) Check the Table of Contents and Index for key terms and concepts Books are typically more comprehensive than scholarly articles, and there may be a chapter, essay, or even the introduction of a book that will be helpful to your research. |
2) Check subject headings and abstract for key terms and concepts Always check the subject headings and read the abstract of an article to get a better understanding of what the thesis is. |
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3) Follow the bibliographic trails Use the citations, also called the Bibliography/Reference List/Works Cited at the end of a book to locate more books or articles on your topic. |
3) Follow the bibliographic trails Use the citations, also called the Bibliography/Reference List/Works Cited at the bottom of an article to locate more books and articles on your topic. |
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4) Browse the shelf Academic libraries use the Library of Congress Classification System. This alphanumeric organization clusters similar materials together. Once you find a book that interests you look nearby for similar titles that may be useful. |
4) Use different sets of keywords to get new results The words we use to search matters. Try more scholarly or different terminology to find the most relevant articles. See a librarian if you need help with this step. |
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5) Interlibrary Loan If you can't find a particular book in this library, use the Interlibrary Loan service get it from another library. |
5) Interlibrary Loan If you can't find the full-text of an article in this library, use the Interlibrary Loan service get it from another library. |
Note about peer-review and books: While books can sometimes be a collection of scholarly articles, academic books are not peer-reviewed in the same way as academic articles. Scholarly books can go through multiple rounds of editing to confirm their accuracy, but they are often most useful because they serve as a synthesis of what is currently known about a topic. Or, they can be useful for setting forth a new argument or criticizing a current argument. Often a scholarly book is the best place to get background information about a topic.
And while there are many presses devoted to publishing scholarship, it's important to note that university presses exist to publish materials that support, deepen, or broaden scholarship.
