Method of Research--Research Process

Academic articles are almost always peer-reviewed, which helps keep the information accurate and high quality. Scholarly peer-reviewed work and other published research (dissertations, scholarly books, etc.) attempt to add to the body of knowledge. That said, even though a scholarly article has been peer-reviewed, it is still important that you critically evaluate it yourself.

Remember that most of your resources for University work should be scholarly RESEARCH articles. A scholarly journal has additional sections like any other journal: editorials, book reviews, news, letters, etc. These resources are not considered research articles, even though they are published in a scholarly/peer reviewed journal. You will want to make sure that you are focusing your efforts primarily on the original, research-based articles.

Characteristics of scholarly studies:

• Reference/bibliographic list
• Defined research question(s)
• Qualitative, quantitative, or mixed research method
• Sample(s) gathered from population
• Uses of measurement instrument to gather data
• Literature review
• Inferences made from findings
• Usually more than a single author
• Scholarly, academic language
• High page count
• Tables and figures of findings

To find academic or shcoalry resources please use the filters "Academic Journals"

Popular magazines are never peer-reviewed. Popular resources are usually written for a broad audience and do not always use the same, formal language as authors of academic articles.

Examples of popular resources include magazine and newspaper articles, websites, and wikis. Use popular resources to identify the latest trends and issues within your topic, but do not rely heavily on these types of resources.

Characteristics of popular source articles:

• Uses short sentences and simple language
• Author reports information from interviews or second-hand sources
• Sometimes the author is not listed or qualifications are not indicated
• Bibliography or references usually not included
• Usually illustrated with colorful photograph

Many databases have a search limiter for magazines/newspapers as shown below for ProQuest and EBSCOhost. Look for a Source Type or Type box. Select this limiter if you wish to find only popular sources. Remember NOT to check the scholarly or peer-reviewed journal limiter.

EBSCOhost 

Trade publications are neither academic or popular; they are resources written for those who work in a specific industry. These publications tend to publish news, statistics, trends and other information relevant to their industry. Authors can be staff editors, journalists, practitioners or academics in the field. They made be published by trade or professional associations. Articles may be short and may not include references, or not nearly as many references as scholarly journal articles. 

• Psychological Review

• Psychology Today

• Scientific American Mind

Many databases have a search limiter for magazines/newspapers as shown below for ProQuest.. Look for a Source Type or Type box. Select this limiter if you wish to find only popular sources. Remember NOT to check the scholarly or peer-reviewed journal limiter.