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Scholarly articles in the social sciences/sciences are written by academics and specialists in the field and include findings from primary/original research. It is not recommended that you read a scholarly article from beginning to end, rather....
| 1. Read and consider the article title |
Will give you clues about the topic |
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| 2. Scan the headings/sections of the article |
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| 3. Read the abstract |
This is the summary of the article, usually dense with information.
Ask yourself: is the article relevant for your research topic? |
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| 4. Read the first few paragraphs of the Discussion section |
This section may also be called the Conclusion
Ask yourself: is the article still relevant for your research topic? |
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| 5. Read the remaining sections of the article |
Before you read a section, take the heading and convert into a question. Suggested order of reading: Introduction, Discussion, Results, then the |
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| 6. Re-read the abstract and Discussion section |
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| 7. Examine the Works Cited/References |
Make note of other relevant studies on the topic and locate these publications through Library databases |
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What is the difference between a Systematic Review and a Literature review? This table describes the specific differences between these two kinds of reviews.
Kysh, Lynn (2013): Difference between a systematic review and a literature review [figshare]. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.766364
If Camosun library does not have a specific article or book that you want, library staff can request it from another library.
Interlibrary loan service is provided to support research and study undertaken at Camosun and is available free to registered students, instructors and staff.
To place a request:
NOTE: There is a limit of 10 ILL requests per student per semester. There are also cost limits for individual items requested should there be a fee attached. Please review our policy should you have any questions.
"Google Scholar aims to sort articles the way researchers do, weighing the full text of each article, the author, the publication in which the article appears, and how often the piece has been cited in other scholarly literature. The most relevant results will always appear on the first page."
What is included in Google Scholar?
Peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles, from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations.
Google Scholar is a great place to scan across a lot of sources at once, but it doesn't know what you have rights to access through your own library sources. It might take you to a page that asks you to pay for the article you want. Please talk to a librarian before you pay for articles online!
By using the link to Google Scholar provided by the Camosun Library, you'll get links to the fulltext when the library subscribes to the journal, if it is from an open access journal, or if the author has posted the fulltext on the open web. TIP: when you are at the search box in Google Scholar, if you hover over the down arrow on the right, you can go directly to an advanced search page.
It depends. Just as periodicals can be scholarly or popular, books are also published with different audiences and purposes.
Popular books are written for a general audience and are usually intended to entertain, advise or persuade. Scholarly books are written for scholars/researchers in the author's field, and are typically intended to share research findings and contribute to the ongoing scholarly "conversation." They might also be intended to teach new scholars in the field -- students just like you! If you look inside a book, you will see some clues.
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References. One of the quickest things to check for: a list of cited sources (articles, books, reports, etc. that the author referred to throughout the text) at the end of each chapter or at the end of the book. | ||
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Discipline-specific language. Because scholarly books are written by experts for experts, the author will be using the specialized terminology of his/her field (and often won't stop to define these words and phrases, as the intended readers will know them already). Scholarly books will also be written in a formal tone, as they are intended to be a professional, lasting contribution to the literature. | ||
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Expert author. Scholarly books are written by people with advanced degrees in their field (M.S., Ph.D., etc.), and typically with years of experience working with the subject that they're writing about. How can you find out? Google them! Many researchers will be associated with a university, government agency or other institution -- see if you can find a webpage for the book's author that ties her to her credentials and experience. Read more. | ||
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A well-respected publisher. A university press is usually a safe bet, as each university wants to ensure that the books published under its name are of high quality. They also frequently publish the work of their faculty, who will be experts in their field and who do research as part of their jobs. There are lots of other publishers out there, too -- as you come across scholarly books in your classes, pay attention to publisher names. You'll soon be familiar with the major publishers of scholarly books in your discipline. | ||
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An editor. Sometimes, you'll notice that each chapter is written by different authors. In this case, one or more editors are listed on the book's cover and copyright page. The editor has the important job of ensuring that each chapter was written to the publisher's standards -- this is a good sign of quality control! (But, remember that not all scholarly books will have an editor or multiple authors!)
Thanks to Priscilla Coulter of Richard G.Trefry Library of the American Public University Library System for permission to use this content |
