FYS: Library Research

Find an Article

Articles are published in periodicals. Periodicals are publications such as journals, newspapers, and magazines that are issued at regular intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually). Periodicals can be scholarly journals, news sources, or popular magazines. The Miller Library subscribes to all types of periodicals in print and digital formats.

To find an article use the Miller Library’s ONESearch tool. It allows you to search the entire library catalog and over 60 of the library’s databases. In order to search for only articles, choose the "Articles" tab before searching. You can then search for articles by keyword, author, or title. You can also select boxes to search for only full-text and peer-reviewed articles. 

Sometimes you will need an article that is not available at the Miller Library. You can request it through the Miller Library's interlibrary loan program.  

Watch How to use ONESearch to learn more about searching for resources at the Miller Library. 

Want to dig deeper? Search for articles directly in one of the library's 108 specialized databases. 

Need help finding an article? Ask a librarian for help. 

Use a Database to find Articles

The Miller Library subscribes to 108 databases. These databases contain numerous resources including scholarly, popular, and news periodicals. The A-Z Databases guide will help you select the best databases to use for your research topic. Each database has a unique user interface, but they will all allow you to search for articles by keyword, author or title. Having trouble narrowing down your options? Ask a librarian for help. 

Find News Sources

News articles are written to provide information to a broad audience. They usually cover current events or provide in-depth background information on topics of importance or interest to the general public. Sometimes sources are cited but usually they are not. 

This Newspapers and News Resources guide will help you find both current and historical news sources at the Miller Library. 

What are scholarly and peer-reviewed periodicals?  

Peer-reviewed periodicals are journals that require articles to go through a robust peer-review process before publication. During this process an article is evaluated by other experts in the field to ensure that it is accurate, significant and methodologically sound. This process is designed to maintain high levels of scholarship in a field and to prevent the publication of inaccurate and false information. Examples of peer-reviewed journals include JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, Comparative Studies in Society and History, and Advances in Oceanography.

All peer-reviewed journals are scholarly; however, not all scholarly periodicals are peer reviewed. Scholarly articles are written by and addressed to experts in a particular field, and they will always be heavily cited. However, some scholarly periodicals only require approval by an editorial board, rather than a committee of peers, before an article can be published. This distinction should be made clear by a journal. If you need help determining whether or not an article is peer-reviewed, please ask a librarian for help. 

What does a scholarly article look like? Check out the Anatomy of a Scholarly Article from NCSU Libraries. Last updated: 7/13/2009. Contact the author. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

What are popular periodicals? 

Popular periodicals are designed to entertain the reader or to promote a particular viewpoint. They are usually written in simple, easy-to-understand language. Popular periodicals usually do not cite sources, and they are often colorful and attractive in appearance. Examples of popular periodicals include magazines such as Reader's Digest, Sports Illustrated, or Rolling Stone. 

How to tell the Difference between Popular and Scholarly Sources*

Barbera, Jessica; Huff, Jim; Iannicelli, Christine; Sade, Marianne; and Martin, Samantha, "IMLS Sparks Ignite IL Framework Cooperative Project Teaching Materials: Scholarly vs. Popular" (2018). IMLS SPARKS Ignite IL Framework Cooperative Project for At-Risk Student Success in Smaller Colleges. 1.
https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/imls_ilframework/1