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Intensive English 204 Academic Writing II

Search the Catalog

Need to find a book in our library? Search the catalog here!

Scholary Journals: How Can You Tell?

Is it scholarly? Use the clues!

Articles in scholarly, academic journals go through a review process before publication. Before an article is published, the manuscript is sent out to editors or reviewers, experts in the field, who review it for quality. It is this peer-review process that guarantees the information is reliable, accurate, and authoritative.

Key Points

  • Scholarly articles are more authoritative to use
  • Scholarly articles usually
    • include an abstract
    • use technical or specialized vocabulary
    • are lengthy
    • are written by an authority
    • include references/bibliographies
  • Not all articles in a scholarly journal are scholarly, such as letters to the editor, opinion pieces, regular and/or guest columns.

Finding Articles on a Topic

To find articles about a specific topic, search one of the Libraries' databases. Begin with a general database; if more authoritative sources are required, search one of the Libraries' subject databases.

Most databases have a way to limit search results to peer-reviewed articles. Be sure to select this check box.

Finding Articles from a Citation

To find articles from a citation, search for the name of the journal in Encore, the library catalog, then follow the link provided to the full-text article.

Here is a citation to use for practice. Does Mabee Library provide print and/or electronic access to this article?

Waite, L. J., Goldschneider, F. K., & Witsberger, C. (1986) Nonfamily living and the erosion of traditional family orientations among young adults. American        Sociological Review, 51, 541-554.

Finding Articles on Microfilm/Microfiche

To find articles in microfilm and microfiche format, search Encore, the library catalog, by the name of the newspaper, magazine or journal. The record will show a WU Mabee Microfilm or WU Mabee Microfiche location.

The microfilm and microfiche file cabinets are located on the 1st floor along the north wall. The file cabinet drawers are labeled in alphabetical order by the title of the publication.

There are two reader/printer machines also along the north wall on the 1st floor which may be used to view and/or print the articles. You may print the articles for free.