1. FINDING & USING
SCHOLARLY (OR
ACADEMIC (OR
JOURNAL)) ARTICLES
LINC Session | Spring „14 | Ms Hazzard

2. Some terminology
 Scholarly = Academic = Journal
 NOT magazine or newspaper articles

3. What are scholarly articles?
 Report original research
 Authored by specialists
 Published in academic journals

4. How to determine if a source is
scholarly…
 Formal language
 Formal presentation
 Author background / experience
 Proper citation and bibliography
 Original research and interpretation
 Not just a summary
 Use of primary sources
 Use of research methodology

5. Why do we use them?
 To find out more about a specific topic
 EXPECTED in academic work: gives you
credibility.
 Authors undergo rigorous process of
submission and peer-editing, often working for
more than one year on a single article: gives
author / research credibility.

6. Different types of scholarly
articles
 Research
 Review
 Theoretical
 Clinical
 Brief report
 Book review
Qualitative v Quantitative research

7. A typical scholarly article
Gibbons, Sandra L. "Meaningful Participation of
Girls in Senior Physical Education Courses."
Canadian Journal of Education 2009: 222-44.
JSTOR. Web. 13 November, 2012.

8. A typical scholarly article
i) Authors

9. Google for more information...

10. A typical scholarly article
ii) Abstract

11. A typical scholarly article
iii) Introduction

12. A typical scholarly article
iv) Methodology

13. A typical scholarly article
v) Results

14. A typical scholarly article
vi) Discussion / Conclusion

15. A typical scholarly article
vii) Bibliography

16. Skimming / 1
 Think about WHO / WHAT / WHERE / WHEN /
WHY / HOW as you read
 Look for important facts, key vocabulary words
and terms, and words that are clues to
relationships e.g. therefore, because, until,
instead
 Look up definitions!
 Key sections: ABSTRACT / INTRODUCTION /
RESULTS / CONCLUSION / FIGURES

17. Skimming / 2
 What is the author trying to say, and how are
they trying to say it
 Why is the author‟s point important?
 What is the social context of the work?
 Highlight / circle / underline!

18. Skimming / 3: Look at the
bibliography
 Which sources were used to write this paper?
 Even if article is of no use, bibliography can be
very helpful
 Can help you narrow your focus

19. Narrowing your focus

20. Evaluating your article
 Authors
 Date
 Publication information

21. Accessing scholarly articles
 Not „google-able‟: $$$
 Via CPIQ / Proquest / Questia / databases at
the Toronto Public Library
 Choose peer-reviewed / academic journals tab

22. CPIQ

23. Proquest

24. Questia

25. How to search a database
 Remember that only RECENT articles are
indexed (usually mid-‟90s onwards)
 Start with keyword search
 Remember to use quotation marks e.g.
“Roman Temples”
 If no matches, use synonyms
 Think about using connecting words
e.g. Smoking OR Tobacco / Gods AND Egypt

26. Evaluating your source
 Read critically
 Look for bias
 Assess the argument
 Read the acknowledgements, particularly in
science articles

27. Citation
Author of article last name, first name. "Title of article."
Name of publication. Volume. Issue (Date):
Page numbers. Name of Database. Web. Date of
Access.
O'Meara, Stephen James. "A Volcanic Sunset."
Astronomy. 37.5 (May 2009): 18. CPIQ. Web. 8
August 2013.
Povoledo, Elisabetta. "Rare peek at riches of past in
Rome." New York Times. (July 4 2009): C1.
Proquest
Platinum. Web. 8 August 2009.

28. Questions?
 For more information on scholarly journals,
see A Pocket Style Manual.
 I will post this presentation, plus the handout,
on our blog, library website and Edsby page.