ENG 111: College Reading and Writing (Armstrong)

Part of your assignment includes locating two or three scholarly sources. In order to locate a scholarly article, you need to know the following: 

1. What is a database? How do I find the library's? 

A database is a collection of information organization by subject, by type of source, by discipline, by publication date, and then made easily accessible through the internet. The library pays a subscription to access over a hundred databases.

To find the databases, go to the library's Databases page.  Link: libguides.winona.edu/az.php

2. What is a scholarly journal? How do I know it's scholarly? 

A scholarly journal is a publication that's primary purpose is to publish scholarship, original research, or original critical analysis in a field of study or discipline, such as molecular biology or linguistics. The articles are written by experts, professionals in the discipline, or advanced students in that field of study; keyword here is experts. The articles are reviewed or vetted by scholars (aka, experts) in the discipline prior to the articles' publication. These peers make a recommendation to the journal's editor of the validity, credibility, and quality of the article. 

An article in an scholarly journal will be longer, usually five or more pages. It will also include a list of cited sources, which can be found either in a Bibliography or footnotes or endnotes. 

3. How do I locate a scholarly journal? 

Go to the library's Databases page, then click on the All Subjects menu to select the most appropriate database for your research topic. Read the brief description of the databases before making your selection. Link: libguides.winona.edu/az.php

In the "Advanced Search" option of many databases you can refine your search scholarly, academic, or even peer-reviewed. 

When reviewing an article, pay attention to the scope (aka focus or description) of the journal. If the focus is narrow, on a specialized view, there's a higher possibility that the content is written by scholars. 

The following databases may be a good starting point for many of you, but as you learn more and develop more questions, you may want to search additional databases. 

This "How do I..." guide will instruct you on how to locate articles through the WSU Databases and request articles from other libraries:

Find Articles

Types of Articles

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