Welcome! This page contains links to on-demand learning opportunities designed to improve your research skills! Learn how to search the databases in your subject area to find peer reviewed articles, tips on reading scholarly articles, writing help, and more!
Check out the Library FAQ guide to help walk you through some common library and research questions as well!
Finding Peer Reviewed Articles & Books
The library subscribes to several databases that provides access to millions of scholarly articles and thousands of books! These databases however can be a little tricky to use at times. Below are videos and handouts that provide tips and tricks on how to use a few of these databases to find scholarly articles and/or books. To search any of the databases listed below to find articles, click on the Finding Articles tab on this guide. To find books, click on the Finding Books tab to search the library's catalog.
Scholarly articles. Academic articles. Peer reviewed articles. You may have heard these terms used by your professor, but what do they mean?
Peer reviewed articles are articles that have been evaluated by the writer's colleagues (or peers) in their field of study. The idea with peer review is that the reviewers uphold standards within the field in terms of research methodology, style, ethics, etc. Most academic databases will allow you to find peer reviewed articles by simply checking a box as you refine your search.
Watch the following video to learn more about the peer review process.
Attempting to read a scholarly article for the first time may seem overwhelming and confusing. The resources below will breakdown the structure of a scholarly article and provide strategies on how to efficiently read one.
There are several types of scholarly articles that you will encounter as you conduct your research including empirical studies, literature reviews, & theoretical articles. Each type has value, so the key is to recognize and select the type of article that is most relevant to your needs.
Watch the following video to learn more about these types of articles.
Note:The following resources are meant to provide a broad overview of the following types of research assignments. Please follow your professor's specific guidelines for their assignments.
Note:The following resources are meant to provide a broad overview of the following types of research assignments. Please follow your professor's specific guidelines for their assignments.