Research Guides: Quick Start Guide to Library Research: Using Scholarly Resources

Using Scholarly Resources

Scholarly articles? Peer-review?

You will be expected to know these terms and use these materials as part of your academic coursework, but what do they mean and how are you expected to use them?

Librarians from Wayne State University have created an excellent "crash course" to explain these concepts, which are key to completing successful academic research.

Peer Review in Three Minutes (Wayne State University Libraries)

Created by librarians at Wilfrid Laurier University Library, this video explains:

The benefits of turning a topic into a research question
How to narrow a general topic into an inquiry of appropriate scope
How to isolate important variables using the questions: Who? What? Why? When? How?

Elements from a strong research question can be used as search terms in later steps in this process.

Developing a Research Question (Laurier Library)

Academic Search Ultimate is a database we subscribe to from EBSCO, and we strongly recommend the use of this database for academic research.

Created by librarians at Clovis Community College Library, this video explains:

How to search in Academic Search Ultimate
Options for accessing articles within the databases

For additional information on how to find what you need quickly, run an advanced search (even if you don't feel like an advanced user!), and save and organize your searches from EBSCOhost: How to Search EBSCO Databases

Search EBSCOhost Academic Search Ultimate (CCC Library)

Created by librarians at Santiago Canyon College Libraries, this video explains:

How to select promising articles from a results list
How to identify when articles are both on-topic and relevant to the project at hand
How to evaluate articles for information important to your research

Selecting Relevant Articles (Santiago Canyon College Libraries)

Created by librarians at Johns Hopkins' Sheridan Libraries, this video explains:

(at 3:18) Structure and sections of scholarly articles in social sciences and sciences
(at 6:28) Structure and sections of scholarly articles in the humanities
(at 7:09) Strategies for reading scholarly articles
(at 8:03) Reading and note-taking tips for scholarly articles

How to Read a Scholarly Article (JHU Sheridan Libraries)

A student might meet with a librarian to discuss:

Finding Resources: To get help locating books, articles, and other materials relevant to their research topic.
Research Strategies: To learn effective search techniques and strategies for navigating databases and online resources.
Citation Assistance: To receive guidance on properly citing sources and citation management strategies.
Evaluating Sources: To get tips on assessing the credibility and relevance of sources.
Narrowing Topics: To refine or narrow down a broad research topic into a more manageable scope.
Developing Research Questions: To get help formulating strong, researchable questions.
Using Library Services: To learn how to use specific library services, such as interlibrary loan.

Popular Databases

Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO)
A multidisciplinary resource that includes over 10,000 full-text peer-reviewed journals.
JSTOR

Journal topics include humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
Atla Religion Database with AtlaSerials (EBSCO)

Premier database for the study of theology and religion.
Business Source Complete (EBSCO)
Articles from the most important scholarly business journals dating back to 1886.
Education Source (EBSCO)
Education Research Complete covers areas of curriculum instruction as well as administration, policy, funding, and related social issues. The database provides indexing and abstracts for nearly 2,400 journals, as well as full text for over 1,400 journals. This database also includes full text for more than 550 books and monographs, and full text for numerous education-related conference papers.

Visit Databases A-Z for a full list of our database offerings.