Add the important library databases available for your subject. When adding links, choose the "Reuse Existing Links" tab and use the links from the Databases A-Z guide.
You will be able to change the database descriptions for individual guides.
Be sure to check the "Add proxy URL to the front of this link" box for each link.
Newspaper article databases may be relevant for some subjects.
Find articles by searching our databases by subject or choose a specific database from our alphabetical list.
Do you already have a citation? Use the Journal Finder to see if Hood provides access to the journal, newspaper, or magazine.
The terms scholarly article, academic article, research article, peer-reviewed article, and refereed article are often used interchangeably. So what do these terms actually mean? And where should you look to find scholarly articles?
Peer review refers to the editorial process that research undergoes before it's published in an academic journal. Before publication, an article is evaluated by a group of scholars in that field of research. Sometimes articles are rejected; sometimes they're accepted; and other times, they're sent back to the author for revisions. Peer review isn't a perfect system, and peer review doesn't guarantee that the research that is published is above reproach. (It also doesn't mean that solid research can't be found outside of academic journals.) But it's the way much of academic research is vetted, published, and distributed--and it's what your professors generally mean when they ask you to look for a "scholarly article."
It's possible to find peer-reviewed articles through a basic web search, but because of the high cost of academic journals, you'll typically find more academic research by searching one of our library databases.
Primary Source
A document written or a physical object created during the time and place under study. Primary sources offer scholars a contemporary or inside view of events and can include creative works, relics or artifacts, as well as documents. In general, instructors will accept a translation of a primary text as a primary text if you are unable to read the original language.
Secondary Source
An interpretation or analysis of one or more primary sources. Secondary sources look back on the time or events under study. They may include representations of or quotations from primary sources.
You may find that a database does not include full-text access to an article you want. That does not mean that you cannot get the article!
1. Click on the "Full Text Finder" link in the citation for the article to see whether the article is available in another database or in print/microform.
2. If the article is not available, try searching Google Scholar to see if the article is available for free online.
3. If you can't find the article online, order it through ILL (interlibrary loan).
Can't find the article you need at Beneficial-Hodson Library? You can request it through our interlibrary loan service (ILL).