Business Human Resources (Resource Guide)

Western Databases for Scholarly /  Peer Reviewed Articles

For some research projects you might be asked to find a scholarly or peer-reviewed source. What are they?

Understanding the Logic and Structure of Scholarly Articles 

• are written by experts - look for an author's credentials or affiliations at the top or bottom of the article
•  are written for other experts or people wanting in-depth information.
  • your paper, project or presentation adds another a voice in an ongoing conversation about your topic
•  use scholarly language with technical vocabulary or words specific to the field being written about.
•  provide verifiable and reliable evidence for what's written/
  • NOTE: even articles that provide background information should contain well researched information that the reader can verify.
•  may be peer reviewed - a process where other experts review and assess the information before it's public
  • some databases will let you check a box to limit to peer reviewed articles
  • you can also look at the journal's website which will explain the editorial process including whether or not the journal is peer reviewed 

Scholarly Articles Don't Have to be Read Word-for-Word (Skimming)

• skim or scan JUST for information you can use
• jot down the useful information to use in your research project

Tips for Reading a Scholarly Article

1. Read the abstract first -  it tells you what the article is about and helps you decide if it makes sense for your assignment

2. Next, read the introduction and discussion/conclusion - covers the main argument, hypothesis/ purpose of the article; take notes about how you can use the information

3. Read about the Methods or Methodology.  (Skimming is okay.) - jot down the type of research the authors used - survey? study? etc  AND if the research is qualitative (describes something) or quantitative (measures something) 

4. Read the results and analysis (may be called "conclusion" or "discussion")

• some things to jot down...
  • what the authors or researchers learned and 
  • whether the results are factual and unbiased
  • how the analysis relates to  the data 
  • what conclusions YOU gathered from the data

5. Skim the author's References or Works Cited List 

• it should include all of the materials the authors used in the article

Check Out the Short Video Below 

Use the grid below to help you decide whether or not your source is scholarly.