Six-page PDF steps the reader through the common parts of any scientific study with follow-up questions to guide understanding.
• Use the right Boolean operator--usually AND--to link two search terms. Using OR often results in a large number of unrelated (and less useful) results. Using AND assures that both of your search terms will appear in the same document.
Periodical publications such as magazines, newspapers and journals vary in quality and depth of coverage. Your instructor will often want you to select articles from scholarly journals (sometimes called "refereed" or "peer-reviewed" journals). This video offers some tips on how to tell a scholarly journal from a popular periodical. For more detail, try our guide to "Scholarly vs. Popular Works."
Keep your initial search simple--save limits (such as date ranges, scholarly, English-language only, etc.) until you see the initial results list.
Look for common database tools (suggested subject headings, abstracts, citation help, emailing and save options) on the edges of the page, often in a color bar above the search boxes or in a separate frame on the right or left of your results list.
Periodical publications such as magazines, newspapers and journals vary in quality and depth of coverage. Instructors will frequently want you to select articles from scholarly journals (sometimes called "refereed" or "peer-reviewed" journals, though the terms don't mean exactly the same thing).
Click the image below to watch a short (3min) video on how to tell the difference between scholarly articles and popular magazine articles.
For more detail, try our guide:
Aims & Scope
The aim of the DOAJ is to increase the visibility and ease of use of open access scientific and scholarly journals, thereby promoting their increased usage and impact. It covers all open access scientific and scholarly journals that use a quality control system to guarantee the content. It includes publications in many world languages as well as in English.
Public Library of Science (PLOS) is a private, non-profit publisher based in San Francisco. Authors of articles pay the the costs of publication, including peer-review, journal production, online hosting and archiving.
Advanced search and full-text downloading for Biology, Computational Biology, Medicine, Genetics, Pathogens & Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Here's what to look for:
| CRITERIA | POPULAR MAGAZINE | TRADE JOURNAL | SCHOLARLY JOURNAL |
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| Content | Secondary discussion of someone else's research; may include personal narrative or opinion; general information, purpose is to entertain or inform. | Current news, trends and products in a specific industry; practical information for professionals working in the field or industry. | In-depth, primary account of original findings written by the researcher(s); very specific information, with the goal of scholarly communication. |
| Author | Author is frequently a journalist paid to write articles, may or may not have subject expertise. | Author is usually a professional in the field, sometimes a journalist with subject expertise. | Author's credentials are provided; usually a scholar or specialist with subject expertise. |
| Audience | General public; the interested non-specialist. | Professionals in the field; the interested non-specialist. | Scholars, researchers, and students. |
| Language | Vocabulary in general usage; easily understandable to most readers. | Specialized terminology or jargon of the field, but not as technical as a scholarly journal. | Specialized terminology or jargon of the field; requires expertise in subject area. |
| Graphics | Graphs, charts and tables; lots of glossy advertisements and photographs. | Photographs; some graphics and charts; advertisements targeted to professionals in the field. | Graphs, charts, and tables; very few advertisements and photographs. |
| Layout & Organization | Informal; may include non-standard formatting. May not present supporting evidence or a conclusion. | Informal; articles organized like a journal or a newsletter. Evidence drawn from personal experience or common knowledge. | Structured; includes the article abstract, goals and objectives, methodology, results (evidence), discussion, conclusion, and bibliography. |
| Accountability | Articles are evaluated by editorial staff, not experts in the field; edited for format and style. | Articles are evaluated by editorial staff who may be experts in the field, not peer-reviewed*; edited for format and style. | Articles are evaluated by peer-reviewers* or referees who are experts in the field; edited for content, format, and style. |
| References | Rare. Little, if any, information about source materials is given. | Occasional brief bibliographies, but not required. | Required. Quotes and facts are verifiable. |
| Paging | Each issue begins with page 1. | Each issue generally begins with page 1. | Page numbers are generally consecutive throughout the volume. |