How do I find a scholarly or peer-reviewed article?
Answer
A peer-reviewed journal article is an article published in a scholarly or academic journal. Before an article is published, other researchers or experts in the same field review the author's research. This process is called peer review, and it is one of the ways scholarly journals help ensure that the research they publish meets academic standards.
[For a quick explanation of what makes a source scholarly, watch Scholarly Sources Explained]
Start Here
Go to the UC Library homepage. One of the easiest places to begin is UC Search, which allows you to search across many of the library's resources at once.
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Think of a few keywords that describe your chosen issue. You don't need to type your entire assignment into the search box. For example, if your issue were homelessness among veterans, you might begin with keywords such as veterans AND homelessness.
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Enter those keywords into UC Search and run your search.
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On the results page, look for the Tweak you results menu on the left and select Peer-reviewed Journals (Click Refine).
Note - You can also use the Year Published options to find recent research if your assignment requires a particular date range. -
Scroll through results and click on an article title to read more about it. Look at the title, abstract or summary, publication date, and subject terms to decide whether the article relates to your issue. If it looks useful, click the available full-text options to access the full article.
We have a short UC Search video tutorial that walks you through the process, as well as a UC Search tutorial page you can refer to while you search.
AI Plugin: Research Assistant
You can also try the library's AI Research Assistant. This can be especially helpful when you're not sure what search terms to use because you can describe your topic or research question in everyday language. The Research Assistant can help you discover relevant scholarly research and identify terminology that you can then use when searching the library.
You can find additional help with library searching and research on our UC Library Video Tutorials page.
Keep in mind that you don't have to figure out the perfect search on your first try. You may need to try a few different word, combinations, or look at a few articles before you find one that fits your assignment.
Still need help? Contact us at ucumberlands.libguides.com/ask!