A "journal article" or "scholarly article" is an article published in a journal with an academic focus and written by an expert on the topic.
Many of these academic journals are peer reviewed.
Scholarly journal articles are very different from non-scholalrly magazine or newspaper articles.
| Scholarly (academic) | Non-scholarly (popular) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | To report research | To entertain or inform |
| Format |
Long articles Can include graphs and charts |
Short articles Can include pictures and advertisements |
| Style | Specialized language | Exciting language |
| Author | Topic expert with name and position listed | Journalist |
| Editor | Other expert(s) on the topic | Other journalist |
| References | Always included | Almost never |
LibrarySearch can be a good starting point for discovering some journal articles to get started. However, if you find it difficult to narrow your results, consider using one of the subject-specific databases recommended below.
Once you have found a quality source, have a look in the bibliography/works cited list - the authors may have referenced other sources that are also relevant for your topic. If you find a citation you are interested in, check LibrarySearch to identify whether we have access to that article at U of T.
If you find it difficult to narrow your search results in LibrarySearch, consider using a subject-specific database.
To access article database, start from the library's homepage and select Databases.
Then select Article Databases by Subject A-Z. Select a subject from the drop-down list (such as Geography or Food studies). The recommended databases for that subject area will display.
Citations to journal articles, books, reviews, and chapters in the fields of anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology.
Searches scholarly articles, Google Books and quasi-scholarly material, harnessing the power of a Google search. Helpful for citation searching: it allows you to link to works that cite the articles in your results list (click on Cited by).
Note: don't pay for any articles! Go back to the library to get the full-text of your sources.
