Is It Peer Reviewed (Scholarly)?
Already found an article and want to know if the journal is academic or scholarly?
Check here:
Look for the tiny referee shirt in the table next to the journal name or check under "content type"."
Tip
You can remove a lot of the quesswork from the process of locating good articles by following one simple strategy: When you find just one relevant article, use the citations at the end of the article as a starting point to find more articles. In other words, see whose work the author has referenced, and see if it may be useful for your work.
And Then There Is...
More on Scholarly and Peer Reviewed Journals
Research & Learning Services
Olin Library
Cornell University Library
Ithaca, NY, USA
and
What is a Scholarly Journal Article?
Article Databases
Use these databases to find news reports and features, trade publications, scholarly research and analysis, and statistics.
News and multidisciplinary
Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost) Multidisciplinary database that can be a good starting ponit for finding resources in social sciences, business and economics, politics and policy, health and medicine, etc.
New York Times (current) (1980-present via ProQuest; includes articles from the New York Times Book Review and the Sunday Magazine)
- Switch from Basic Search to Advanced Search
- Input relevant search terms
- To limit your results, scroll down to make selections from the list of document types, including reviews, editorials, and essays
The Wall Street Journal (1984-present via ProQuest: includes in-depth articles about companies, industries, and specific products).
- Switch from Basic Search to Advanced Search
- Input relevant search terms
- Also included as a component of ABI/Inform (business article database; see below).
Business, including company and industry information, workers, labor, etc.
Business Source Premier / Regional Business News
- Change search interface from Basic Search to Advanced Search
- Search for keywords and phrases, then use Subject terms from relevant results to refine search
- Includes company profiles and industry reports
ABI/Inform Global Articles on business, management and industry; includes peer-reviewed scholarly research.
- Change search interface from Basic to Advanced
- Search for keywords and phrases, then use suggested search terms (or subject terms from relevant results) to refine search
- Includes full-text coverage of The Wall Street Journal from 1984-present.
Social Sciences, including law, politics and policy, human rights, consumerism, environmental issues, etc.
PAIS International (Public Affairs Information Service). Indexes and provides citations and abstracts from policy oriented literature of the social sciences, including economics and political science.
- Change search interface from Basic to Advanced
- Search for keywords and phrases, then use suggested search terms (or subject terms from relevant results) to refine search
CQ Researcher (via CQ Press Electronic Library)
With content updated daily, CQ Researcher is "the definitive reference resource for research in American government, politics, history, public policy, and current affairs". Reports include in-depth analysis of issues in the news, with extensive explanation, pro / con arguments, charts, references to additional authoritative sources, and more. Some recent relevant report titles include "buying green", "climate change", "sugar controversies", "genetically modified food", and "farm policy."
Social Sciences Full Text (Wilson Web). Provides indexing, abstracting, and selected full text to articles in over 350 leading English language periodicals covering anthropology, criminology, psychology, political science, women's studies, and sociology. Enter your search terms, and then in the Subject Area dialog box, select Social Sciences. Searches can be limited to peer reviewed, i.e., scholarly sources.
Sociological Abstracts. This is the principle index to the literature in sociology and related disciplines. It is an international database that provides citations to and abstracts from journals, books, dissertations, and conference papers.