Two common ways to find scholarly journal articles:
1. Search an article database and then limit the search to scholarly (peer-reviewed or refereed) materials; or
2. Locate a journal and verify if it is a scholarly one by searching in Ulrich's Global Serials Directory.
If you are still unsure whether an article is scholarly or not, the best source to turn to is an expert in your field -- ask your professor.
Articles are excellent for finding:
Articles can either be scholarly or non-scholarly in nature.
Articles in scholarly journals generally have been reviewed by an editorial board, have gone through some type of peer-review process, and are the in-depth, primary account of original findings written by the researcher(s) in their field of academic interest. Many but not all professional journals are peer-reviewed.
Articles in popular magazines, newspapers and trade publications on the other hand are written from a non-scholarly perspective. They are generally not peer-reviewed, favor a much more informal writing style, and often have no, or only very brief, bibliographies. Non-Scholarly articles can be helpful but it just depends on what your research needs are.
Scholarly articles can generally be identified by several features:
(This list was inspired by the various lists available on library websites, particularly that of Judith Downie at California State University San Marcos)
Academic Search Complete is the world's most valuable and comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 9,100 full-text periodicals, including nearly 7,900 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 13,690 journals and publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.
This scholarly collection offers unmatched full-text coverage of information in many areas of academic study including, but not limited to: animal science, anthropology, area studies, astronomy, biology, chemistry, civil engineering, electrical engineering, ethnic & multicultural studies, food science & technology, general science, geography, geology, law, materials science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, music, pharmaceutical sciences, physics, psychology, religion & theology, veterinary science, women's studies, zoology and many other fields. Updated daily.
140 titles, including areas of astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry, earth science, environmental issues, mathematics, medicine, physics, and zoology from 1984—abstracting coverage begins with periodicals published in March 1993. The abstracts range from 50 to 300 words and describe the content and scope of the source articles. Full-text coverage begins in 1997.
JSTOR is a digital library of academic content in many formats and disciplines. The collections include top peer-reviewed scholarly journals as well as respected literary journals, academic monographs, research reports from trusted institutes, and diverse primary sources. FSU has access to JSTOR’s Archive, Primary Sources, and Global Plants collections.
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