Library resources - Advantages
Why should we use library resources for our research? Listed below are reasons why library resources should be your first and only choice when doing research.
- When searching a database, everything you find has been published
- For general reader publications, an editor has checked facts, so information is dependable.
- For academic peer-reviewed articles, material goes through a peer review process to make sure the information is reliable. Articles are reviewed by experts in the field to ensure the article's quality. Reviewers are unaware of the article's author, so the article succeeds on its own merit, not that of the author.
- Searching can be done by Author, Subject or Keyword, so searching is easier to perform.
- Databases have "Limiters" which help you filter your results.
- Article source is clear and easy to locate - helps with citing article in research.
- Much of the content is available through the library at no charge.
- Great for "in-depth" research on topics.
- Database results contain no websites or advertisments.
Scholarly Articles
Scholarly Articles
It’s not always easy to tell if an article has been peer reviewed. Some databases will help by labeling results scholarly or academic. However, you will still need to examine each article to be sure that it’s scholarly
The following characteristics can help you determine if the article you’re looking at is scholarly:
- Author(s) name included
- Scholarly articles are written by experts of researchers, so make sure that the author’s name is included.
- Technical or specialized language
- Scholarly articles will often use technical or highly specialized language.
- Written for professionals
- Scholarly articles are published in academic journals, which often have titles that suggest they are written for professionals in a particular field of study, and not for the general public.
- Charts, graphs, and diagrams
- Scholarly articles communicate research results, which means they will often include charts, graphs, or diagrams.
- Long (5+ pages)
- Scholarly articles tend to be relatively long; generally, they are five or more pages.
- Bibliography included
- Scholarly articles will always include references to the sources cited or a bibliography.
