Use the following tutorials to learn more about how to locate articles in journal and other periodical sources.
A peer reviewed journal article is an article that has been reviewed and chosen for publication by the author's professional peers. These peers are scholars in the field, who sit on the editorial board of a journal which is usually published by a professional organization or a university press. Peer reviewed articles can also be known as scholarly or refereed articles.
Need to locate an online version of an article for which you already have the citation? Try the library's
To use:
Finding articles on your topic is just one step in the research process.
After locating a few articles you should evaluate them to determine whether they are suitable to use for your research project. The following tutorial provides access to pages telling you how to do just that.
Use the following databases to locate articles specific to religious studies topics.
You may need to search the following non-religious studies subject databases to ensure that you are locating all of the relevant information on your toipic. The following are just a few of the many subject-specific databases available to you through the library. To locate additional databases, consult the library's list of Databases by Name, A-Z.
Try the Library's Discover Search.
Discover searches across most of the library's databases and holdings using one simple search tool.
Advanced Discover Search or use the search box below.
(Note: This search may turn up a LOT of results!
Use the Advanced Search option to help you narrow down your results.)
Still need more info? Try searching:
Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines, including theses, books, abstracts and articles.
When you're on campus Google Scholar will indicate which articles are available to you from the various journals subscribed to by the library and will provide you with a link to access them. Note, this only works when you are accessing Google Scholar from an on-campus computer. It will not work from off-campus.
1. Always use the Library website to access the Library's subscription databases.
2. For off-campus access, enter your Campus ID and Password at the prompt.
3. Use the Advanced Search option within the database you are using to achieve the best results.
4.Choose a topic and/or decide what question you're trying to answer. Then develop a list of search terms based on your topic/question.
5. Keep your search terms brief and concise. The more words you enter into a database search box, the fewer results you will retrieve.
6. Check your spelling. Library databases do not correct spelling errors.
7. If your first set of search terms doesn't retrieve any results, try using related words or synonyms that describe your topic.
8. You can search for different forms of a word (different word endings of the same word), by typing the first few letters followed by an asterisk. Example:
9. Use double quotation marks around two or more words to search as a phrase. Example:
10. Use the connecting words AND and OR to narrow or broaden your search. Examples:
11. You can create more complex searches by using the words AND, OR, NOT, in combination with parentheses. Example:
12. If don’t see a full-text link (HTML full text or PDF), try clicking on the
button near the citation to the article. Clicking this button will check for full text availability outside of the database you are currently searching. A new window will open and if the full text is available you will see a Full Text Online link. Click on the link to access the full text of the article. If no full text is available you may be able to request a copy of the article through the library's free Interlibrary Loan service.
Ask a Librarian for help if you can't find what you need!
