How to Find Scholarly Articles

Articles in scholarly publications are usually published by academic publishers or by scholarly or professional societies and organizations. The intended audience consists of specialists in professions and academic disciplines, teachers, and researchers. These journals are often subscribed to by individual scholars or by college and university libraries.

Articles in scholarly publications receive what is called in the academic world "peer review." Prior to acceptance for publication, all manuscripts of proposed articles are reviewed by scholars in the field to judge scholarly merit, research value, and accuracy. Scholarly articles normally indicate the credentials of the author, explain the methodology used in the research, and list footnotes or references to document the source material used in writing the article.

Try these multidisciplinary databases for access to scholarly articles:

Subject-specific databases are listed by subject area. A few examples are ERIC in Education, GeoRef in Geology, and RILM in Music.

Once you find a citation of interest, look for links to the text of the article itself.

  • In some databases, full text displays automatically, or a link such as Attached Full Text, PDF, or HTML, etc. finds full text within the database.
  • The link Find It uses standard protocols to look for online full text in other sources, including other OhioLINK databases and library e-journal subscriptions.
  • Find It also indicates whether your own library or other OhioLINK libraries subscribe to the journal in print or electronically.
  • If you cannot find the article in any database or at your library, contact the Interlibrary Loan department of your library.

Check with the reference librarians at your library. They have information about the services of your own library and further recommendations on appropriate sources (electronic or print) to meet your information needs.

January 2013