Research Guide

Locating Scholarly Journal Articles

Scholarly journal articles can be found in the library databases and on the open web.

If you are searching the library databases, you can use the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) to search multiple databases at one time. Or, you can use the search tools in a particular subject database to locate the articles. Most of these search interfaces have limiters which will allow you to limit your search to academic journals. In most cases, the library databases contain the citation and abstract information as well as the full text of the article. If the full-text is not available in the database, you can submit an interlibrary loan request to receive that article.

If you are searching for scholarly articles on the open web, you can use Google Scholar. This web search engine will retrieve citations (metadata) and, in many cases, the full text of the scholarly journal articles. The Google  Scholar index includes most peer-reviewed online academic journals and books, conference papers, these and dissertations, abstracts, technical reports, and other scholarly literature including court opinions and patents.Google Scholar's legal database of US cases is extensive. Users can read published opinions of US state appellate and supreme court cases since 1950. Since Google Scholar strives to include as many  journals as possible, beware of predatory journals. Be sure you are using the best, most credible information for your research by evaluating the scholarly journals you find on the open web. 

Improve Searches, Take a Deep Dive Into Databases!

Discover the library's electronic resources with a deep dive into our databases. Learn how to expand and limit your search and get tips for improving your research.

Look Outside The Library

The library is a great place to start your research but we aren't the only place to look for the resources you may need. Try searching a few of our favorite links:

• Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature.
• Directory of Open Access Journals is an online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals. 
• Digital Public Library of America lets you search the records of unique library and museum collections from all over the United States.
• WorldCat is the OCLC's comprehensive database of books, not sure if we have it? Wondering who does? Worldcat can find it for you. 
• Google Books  is a free service that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical character recognition and stored in its digital database. Books are provided either by publishers and authors through the Google Books Partner Program, or by Google's library partners through the Library Project. Additionally, Google has partnered with a number of magazine publishers to digitize their archives.
• Hathitrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries including content digitized via the Google Books project and Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digitized locally by libraries.
• Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, the print disabled, and the general public. Our mission is to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge.

Find Resources Using Boolean Operators

When searching databases, you can conduct a more effective search by using the operators OR, AND and NOT to expand or narrow your search.

Can't Find It?

The library has thousands of information resources but we still may not have the book or article you need! With Interlibrary Loan Services you may order books for delivery from other libraries or request articles (and chapters) to be scanned and sent directly to your university email. Learn more and request your ILL resource HERE.