Is it Scholarly - Using Discover
If you search for articles using Discover, check the box for Scholarly Articles. It will automatically search for scholarly, peer-reviewed journals.
When you see a list of search results, click on the title of the article that interests you. You can verify that the article is from a scholarly journal if it states:
- Publication Type: journal article
Is it Peer-Reviewed - Using Ulrich's
The Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory is a comprehensive international list of online and print journals, magazines, and newspapers.
You may directly search the title of a "serial" publication in Ulrichsweb to be 100% certain that it is a scholarly journal.
Each publication has a Basic Description about its Serial Type/Content Type. It is a scholarly journal if it states:
- Serial type: Journal
- Content type: Academic Scholarly
Peer-reviewed journals are considered the most authoritative of scholarly journals. The articles are reviewed by experts who specialize in the same scholarly area as the author. A publication is "peer reviewed" if it states:
- Refereed: Yes
As a peer-reviewed journal is also said to be "refereed," it can be identified by the referee uniform icon:
Searching Ulrich's
- Go to the database Ulrichsweb
- Type in the name of a publication, such as "quarterly journal of speech".
- Click on the green search button.
- Click on the title of the publication.
This is a peer-reviewed journal.
- The serial type is: Journal
- The content type is: Academic Scholarly
- It is "refereed" (peer-reviewed)
A "trade journal" such as the International Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications may be reputable, but it is not a scholarly journal.
Scholarly Books
- Safe bet: published by a university or academic press such as:
- Columbia University Press
- Harvard University Press
- University of Chicago Press
- Routledge
- SAGE Publications
- Springer
- Taylor & Francis
- Maybe: if it has a bibliography/chapter footnotes
- Best bet: verify it with your instructor
Filter Results
After doing a general search in Discover, limit the Source Types to "Academic Journals."
Databases - Scholarly Articles Only
Some databases only contain (or index) journal articles. Therefore, you will not have to verify that articles are scholarly in those databases. Examples include:
- Sage Journals Online This link opens in a new windowFull-text from 860+ scholarly journals, with excellent coverage for criminology, psychology, sociology, health sciences and the humanities. Numerous journals also cover education, general and international business, and management.
- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new windowBroad science coverage, emphasizing life sciences, health sciences, engineering, earth sciences, agriculture, and pharmacology. Full text from over 3800 journals and chapters from over 5300 books. Also includes business, management and accounting; economics, econometrics and finance, and social science.
- Web of Science This link opens in a new windowSimultaneously search the most important journals in the social sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, the humanities, and visual and performing arts. Includes 'high impact' scholarly sources. Search by author, topic, affiliation, etc., or follow links to cited sources. Create an individualized sign-in to save results, set up search alerts, and gain access to citation management with the My EndNote Web service. Includes Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Science Citation Index (SCI).
