AND - use this when ALL the words must be in your results. This will narrow your results. Example: apples AND oranges; peanut butter AND jelly
OR - use this to connect synonyms, when ANY can come back in your results. This will broaden a search. Example: women OR woman OR girl; cat OR kitty OR kitten
NOT - use with caution since this will eliminate results with the specified word.
See a visual guide to Boolean here!
Q: What is a scholarly journal? A:
These are articles written by people considered to be experts in their
fields. They spend years conducting experiments, reviewing other
literature on the topic, and writing their article. It often goes
through a very intense review process to make sure the information is
objective and accurate. It can often take a year or two for it to be
published. A: Nothing- all three are just different names for the same idea. A: Here are some things to look for in order to determine if an article is scholarly: Often start with an abstract, or summary, of the article. Include footnotes or bibliographies. Generally are longer than articles in popular or news magazines. Are reviewed (refereed) by an editorial board and revised before being accepted for publication. Include the language, or jargon, of the subject discipline. It assumes some degree of subject knowledge by the reader. Report original research or experimentation results. Are authored by subject experts, researchers, or scholars in their fields. Author credentials are frequently listed. Are
published by professional organizations, such as the American Medical
Association (Journal of the American Medical Association), or the
National Council on Family Relations (Journal of Marriage and the
Family). A:
Many of the library databases allow you to limit your search results to
journals that are scholarly. That does not mean that you will only get
scholarly articles though. You want to review the articles that come
back and make sure they meet the qualifications. Q: What is the difference between a scholarly journal, a trade journal and a popular magazine? A: A trade journal is typically from professional organizations in a specific field, but articles are not peer reviewed. They are a great way to find out current issues and practices in a specific field. Some professional organizations will have a scholarly journal and a trade journal. Popular magazines are like Time, Newsweek, Vogue or Sports Illustrated. These articles are written by journalists and are for the general public. They are a good way to get an introduction to a topic.
Q: What's the difference between a peer reviewed journal, academic journal and scholarly journal?
Q: How can I tell if an article is scholarly?
Q: How can I find these articles?