LibGuides: Environmental Studies Resource Guide: Finding Scholarly Sources

Finding Scholarly Sources

Video Tutorial: Finding Scholarly Sources in OneSearch

This tutorial explains how to conduct a basic search for scholarly articles using HCC's Library OneSearch tool. Basic search, limiting results, and retrieving citations are topics covered in this video.

Finding Scholarly Articles in Databases

While some databases only contain content from scholarly resources, many provide an option to limit the articles retrieved in a search to those originally published in scholarly or peer-reviewed sources. Look below for tips on how to limit your results within specific databases. Visit our video tutorials to learn how to search several of the databases listed below.

JSTOR Arts and Sciences Collections

Select the "Articles" item type under Narrow By to see only scholarly journal articles in the results list.

JSTOR This link opens in a new window Full-text articles from thousands of scholarly journals, which include archaeology, arts & art history, classical studies, history, humanities, language & literature, music, philosophy, and social sciences. To learn how to search this resource, refer to the How  to  search  JSTOR tutorial on the video tutorials libguide.

EBSCO Databases

Select "Scholarly (Peer-Reviewed) Journals" under Limit Your Results. Also, selecting "Academic Journals" under Source Types on the left of the results page will further limit results to scholarly, peer reviewed journals.

Note: Occasionally, a peer-reviewed magazine or trade publication may still be included in the search.

Contact a librarian for additional assistance.

Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window Articles with information in the areas of social sciences, humanities, science, education, and others in over 7,962 journals. To learn how to search this resource, refer to the Academic Search Premier Basic or Advanced Search Tutorials.

OneSearch - Scholarly articles only

Using Scholarly Sources

How to Recognize a Scholarly Source

Scholarly sources are written by experts in a particular field to keep other scholars or professionals aware of the most recent studies or research in that field.

Additional characteristics of scholarly sources:

Articles have abstracts and cited references
All tables, graphs, and charts include content related to the publication in which they're found
Published in scholarly journals or scholarly books
Scholarly journals and books are typically published by universities or professional associations

For more information on how to recognize scholarly sources, see the PowerPoint presentation below.

How to Recognize Scholarly Sources

Are Books Scholarly Sources?

Although faculty are usually referring to journal articles when asking students to use scholarly resources, some scholars choose to publish their research in book form. To determine if a book is scholarly, first look for information in the book that details the author's expertise in the subject area, such as a doctorate (Ph.D.) or an indication of being a faculty member at a prestigious college or university. Next, look at the publisher to determine if they are a university press or a publishing house that specializes in a specific scholarly discipline. Finally, take a close look at the content of the book. If it is scholarly, it will be written for scholars or other experts and not for the general public.

How to Read a Scholarly Article

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article
This interactive explainer from NCSU Libraries shows and describes the different sections typically found in a scholarly article.
How Do I Even Read That? Understanding Scholarly Articles
The University of Maryland Libraries provide a quick overview of how to read a scholarly article with accompanying video tutorial.
How to Read a Scholarly Article
Western University demonstrates how to read a scholarly article in this brief video tutorial. Includes helpful questions for evaluating what you read.
How to Read a Scientific Paper
This article from ScienceBuddies helps you understand the difference between review articles and original research, discover the sections of a scientific article, and learn strategies for reading them.

How to Read a Scientific Paper
This tutorial by Michael Fosmire of Purdue University explores why and how to read a scientific paper and also provides a visual introduction to what you can find in each section.

Infographic: How to Read a Scientific Paper
Elsevier (an academic publisher) provides a quick overview of a reading strategy for scholarly writing.
Retraction Watch
Sometimes scholarly papers are retracted or "taken back" by their publishers after problems with the author and/or research come to light. Track retractions here.