2c. Find Articles
Periodical Publications
Usually, most of the sources you use will be articles from peer-reviewed journals. The most typical way to acquire these articles is through a research database, which contains catalogued citations or even full-text articles. Learn how to find articles here.
Search the Library Catalog
How to Find Journals
If you want to look for a specific journal or browse journals by title, follow these instructions:
Navigate to the library catalog by choosing Catalog ⇒ Basic Search from the navigation bar.
In the catalog, select the Resources dropdown menu and choose the option eJournals A–Z List.
Figure 1
Dropdown Menu in the Library Catalog
When the search junction appears, select the tab labeled Journals.
Search or browse:
Search the eJournals A–Z List to find out if Northwestern provides full-text coverage.
Alternatively, select the Browse tab to see a complete list of journal titles.
Figure 2
Options in the Periodical Search Junction
Navigate to the library catalog by choosing Catalog ⇒ Basic Search from the navigation bar.
Choose the Advanced Search option.
Figure 3
Advanced Search
Under Search Index, select Title. Then type the name of the journal you want to find in the Search Term bar.
Specify Journal/Magazine under Format and conduct your search.
Figure 4
The Advanced Search Screen
While in an EBSCO database, select the tab labeled Publications to browse or search the publication list.
You can subscribe to receive updates from a particular journal by selecting the RSS icon () to the left of the journal’s title.
Publications Window in an EBSCO Database
Article Evaluation Tips
Is biographichal information for the author provided?
Who is the publisher?
How frequently is the periodical published?
- How many and what kinds of advertisements are present? Are the ads geared toward a specific discipline or occupation?
Structure of an Article
Peer-reviewed articles usually have similar structure.
Note the following components of an article. If any of these are not present, you are most likely not looking at a peer-reviewed source.
- Abstract
The abstract is a summary of the article, including its conclusions. Reading the abstract will help you determine if the article will be relevant to your project.
- Review of the literature
After a brief introduction, the article should review and summarize other studies on the same or related subjects, at the same time explaining why this new study is necessary.
- Methodology
The article should then present the methods used in the study.
- Results
The article presents the results of the present investigation.
- Discussion or analysis
- Finally, the paper should present some interpretation of the results with possible implications and suggestions for further research.
Databases
Available Databases
NWOSU subscribes to many databases.
Most research databases are proprietary, meaning you can’t access them from the open web. See our complete list of available databases on our database page:
- Research Databases
See our entire suite of available research databases.
Interdisciplinary Databases
Some databases are designed for specific subjects, but others are general or interdisciplinary, covering almost every subject.
The databases listed here have been selected for their extensive coverage:
- Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete is the world’s most valuable and comprehensive scholarly, multidisciplinary full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals.
- JSTOR
JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students.
Through through JSTOR, we subscribe to three multidisciplinary collections focused on social and life sciences.
Open-Access Databases
Most databases are proprietary, but some are open access, making peer-reviewed content freely available on the web.
Here are some of the most prominent open-access databases:
- Directory of Open Access Journals
DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high-quality open-access, peer-reviewed journals.
- PubMed Central
PubMed Central (PMC) is a free, full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM). In keeping with NLM’s legislative mandate to collect and preserve the biomedical literature, PMC serves as a digital counterpart to NLM’s extensive print journal collection.
- Elsevier Open Access
All articles in open-access journals which are published by Elsevier have undergone peer review and upon acceptance are immediately and permanently free for everyone to read and download.
