What is a Scholarly Article?
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 are 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.
Finding Full Text
Many databases on the library's website include the full text of articles. Click on the PDF or HTML icon to download the article.
If full text is not available, click the Find It or 360 Link icons to see if there is access from another source.
Look for 
displayed for each item in the library's databases. In Google Scholar, look for Find Full Text @ Oberlin. Access via publisher websites is generally limited to subscribers.
Full text is not always accessible for immediate download. The 360 Link may lead to an intermediary page offering access through Interlibrary loan. If you have trouble, consult the library staff.
Databases
- ATLA Religion Database This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive index to journal articles, book reviews, and collections of essays in all fields of religion. Also covers antiquities and archaeology, Bible, church history, ecumenism, ethics, missions, pastoral ministry, philosophy, religions and religious studies, theology. Dates of Coverage: 1949-to date
- ATLASerials, Religion Collection This link opens in a new window
Full text from more than 100 journals selected by leading religion scholars in the United States.
- Index to Jewish Periodicals This link opens in a new window
Indexes English-language articles, book reviews, and feature stories in more than 230 journals devoted to Jewish affairs. Covers Jewish and Middle Eastern culture, literature, history, politics, religion, and other areas of study. Dates of Coverage: 1988 to date
- RAMBI: The Index of Articles on Jewish Studies This link opens in a new windowIncludes scholarly articles in all disciplines from journals and collections of articles in English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and many European languages. Covers the various fields of Jewish studies and the study of the Southern Levant (roughly Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan, and parts of Lebanon). Dates of Coverage: 1966 to date
- Religion and Philosophy Collection This link opens in a new window
Provides full text from more than 290 journals; covers world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy and the history of philosophy.
