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.
Best Journal Databases
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowScholarly journal archive for the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences; current issues (usually the last 2-5 years) are not digitized by JSTOR and may be obtained elsewhere.
- Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Scholarly literature in the sciences, health and medicine, social sciences, arts, and humanities and proceedings of international conferences, symposia, seminars, colloquia, workshops, and conventions. Includes cited reference searching across many databases. Search all databases in Web of Science (includes Medline and BIOSIS, direct link for on-campus users). Dates of coverage: 1965 to present.
- PubMed This link opens in a new windowPublic access to MEDLINE, the most comprehensive index for biomedical literature, plus 40+ specialized databases for biochemistry, proteins, genomics, nucleotides, the National Library of Medicine catalog, and more.
Open Access Journals
- EthnoMedEthnoMed is Harborview Medical Center's ethnic medicine website containing medical and cultural information about immigrant and refugee groups. Information is specific to groups in the Seattle area, but much of the cultural and health information is of interest and applicable in other geographic areas.
- WHO Global Health LibraryGlobal Index Medicus (GIM) provides worldwide access to biomedical and public health literature produced by and within low-middle income countries. The main objective is to increase the visibility and usability of this important set of resources. The material is collated and aggregated by WHO Regional Office Libraries on a central search platform allowing retrieval of bibliographical and full text information.
- Grey Literature Report - Fill the gaps in your public health researchThe report is a publication produced by the The New York Academy of Medicine between 1999 - 2016, alerting readers to new grey literature publications in health services research and selected urban health topics.
Resources by Region
- Native Health DatabaseThe UNM HSC Center for Native American Health specializes in student and workforce development, community engagement, community-based participatory research (CBPR), community health assessment capacity building, program planning, and project management.
- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)PAHO is the specialized international health agency for the Americas.
It works with countries throughout the region to improve and protect people's health. PAHO engages in technical cooperation with its member countries to fight communicable and noncommunicable diseases and their causes, to strengthen health systems, and to respond to emergencies and disasters.
PAHO is committed to ensuring that all people have access to the health care they need, when they need it, with quality and without fear of falling into poverty. Through its work, PAHO promotes and supports the right of everyone to good health. - Public Health LibGuide - By RegionBrown University Global Health LibGuide by Ms. Erika Sevetson
- SciEloScientific Electronic Library Online
More Databases
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CINAHLIndexing and full text coverage for journals in nursing, biomedicine, health sciences librarianship, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health. Dates of Coverage: 1937-
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Entrez, The Life Sciences Search EngineA cross-database search engine from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
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Health Source: Consumer EditionSearchable full text for consumer health periodicals, health-related pamphlets, health reference books, and drug monographs.
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Health Source: Nursing/Academic EditionScholarly full text journals in nursing, allied health, drug monographs, plus access to Merriam-Webster's Medical Desk Dictionary.
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History of Science, Technology, and MedicineAn international bibliography indexing journal articles, conference proceedings, books, dissertations, serials, maps and other materials Dates of coverage: 1975 to present
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MedicLatinaA Spanish language collection of medical research and investigative journals from Latin American and Spanish publishers.
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MEDLINE (EBSCO version)Most comprehensive source of full text for medical journals. Includes full text of nearly 1500 titles.
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Natural & Alternative TreatmentsEvidence-based articles covering medical conditions, alternative therapies, herbs and supplements, functional foods, drug interactions, and homeopathy.
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Physical Education IndexIndexes peer-reviewed journals, reports, conference proceedings, trade magazines, patents, articles from the popular press, books. Dates of Coverage: 1970 to date
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PsycINFOIndexes scholarly literature in the psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences; covers journals, books, reviews, and dissertations.
Dates of Coverage: 1880s–present