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FYSP 096: The Art of Social Work

Where to Find Scholarly Articles

The following are databases which may be particularly useful for research in FYSP 096. For a full list of databases at Oberlin, check out our Databases A-Z.

To find scholarly articles in databases, look for filters that allow you to limit results to scholarly & peer-reviewed articles.

Use Search.Libraries to find books, journal articles, scores, audio, video, and more—all from a single integrated starting point. 

To find scholarly articles in Search.Libraries, you can:

  • Apply the Articles pre-filter before searching
  • Filter results by Resource Type > Articles
  • Filter results by Availability > Scholarly & Peer-Reviewed Journals

All About Scholarly Articles

Both scholarly and peer-reviewed articles are written by experts in academic or professional fields.

Scholarly articles are published in journals for specific academic disciplines. Many scholarly journals are also peer-reviewed.

Peer-reviewed articles been submitted to reviewers who are experts in the field. Because the reviewers specialize in the same scholarly area as the author, they are considered the author’s peers (hence “peer review”).

Both scholarly and peer-reviewed articles are excellent places to find what has been studied or researched on a topic, as well as find references to additional relevant sources of information. 

An assortment of quadrilaterals.Articles

Articles are works of writing published in serial or periodical publications; this includes scholarly and peer-reviewed journals, but also trade publications, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, blogs, and more!

An assortment of rectangles.Scholarly Articles

Scholarly articles are written by experts in academic or professional fields, and are published in journals for specific academic disciplines.

An assortment of squares.Peer-reviewed Articles

Peer-reviewed articles are scholarly articles that have been reviewed and vetted by experts in the field. Because these reviewers specialize in the same scholarly area as the author, they are considered the author’s peers (hence “peer review”).

1. Read The Abstract
The abstract will give you a general understanding of the article. Also, pay attention to the authors and their titles.

2. Read The Conclusion

The conclusion will summarize the author's findings including ways of improving the research.

3. Read The Introduction

The introduction will set up the layout of the article and the main argument of the article.

Tip #1: Highlight important ideas.

4. Read The First And Last Sentence Of Each Paragraph

The first and last sentence of each paragraph will give you a brief understanding of the discussion. 

Tip #2: Take notes on the margins.

5. Read The Rest Of The Article

After getting a general idea of the article, read the entire article to get a full picture of the author's argument.

Tip #3: Repeat steps one and two.

Original

An article that reports on original research such as an experiment, or analysis of data, a creative work, phenomena, or historical event.

Review

An article summarizing the results of many original articles investigating similar topics. May use analytic techniques such as meta-analysis to statistically compare data from multiple studies.

Tip #1 - Many scholarly journals, especially in the Humanities, also publish book reviews of scholarly books. These are not the same as review articles!

Theory

An article intended to contribute to the theoretical foundations of a field, providing explanations for phenomena and frameworks that can be used to guide the analysis of evidence.

Where to Find Articles from Popular Sources

Search.Libraries

In Search.Libraries, filter your results by Resource Type > Magazine Articles.

Databases

The following databases may provide useful results. For a full list of databases at Oberlin, check out our Databases A-Z.

Search.Libraries

In Search.Libraries, use the Newspaper Search function, or filter results by Resource Type > Newspaper Articles. 

Databases

The following are some of the top databases for recent and current newspapers. For a full list of databases at Oberlin, check out our Databases A-Z.

Try limiting results in Databases A-Z by Type > News & Newspapers.

All About Articles from Popular Sources

Popular sources are written for a general audience, and are intended to inform readers on various topics, such as news, current interest, business, and entertainment. These sources can be useful for finding background information, or for identifying topics for further research.

Examples of popular sources include:

  • Newspapers, and online news sources
  • Magazines
  • Best-selling nonfiction
  • Consumer-oriented websites 

When used to document historical events, cultural practices, or public opinion, popular sources may be valuable to researchers as primary source material.

Typically, popular sources exhibit the following characteristics:

  • Informal in tone and scope, with language that is easily understood by the general public
  • Include illustrations or advertisements
  • Written or created by journalists, staff writers, or freelance writers
  • Do not report on original research, are not peer-reviewed, and rarely include citations

Are you having trouble distinguishing between scholarly and popular sources?

The worksheet below can help you decide!