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Finding Journal Articles
Popular vs. Scholarly
Articles on psychology topics can be found in a large number of periodicals, ranging from popular magazines to scholarly journals. For most psychology assignments at JMU, you will need to use scholarly journal articles for your research. With Carrier Library subscribing or having electronic access to thousands of periodicals, how can you tell which are popular magazines and which are scholarly journals? A few simple criteria can help you make the distinction:
| | ||
| May be unsigned | Written by experts in the field | |
| May be written by someone outside the field | Author's credentials are given | |
| No references | References well documented | |
| Written for general public | Specialized language used | |
| Widely distributed | In peer-reviewed or refereed journals, articles submitted
are reviewed by a panel of experts on the subject | |
| Often published by association or scholarly press |
Research Reports and Other Types of Scholarly Journal Articles
In a research report, the author reports on an experiment or analyzes data that has been collected. According to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, research reports must be written as shown below.
APA Format for Research Report
| Introduction | includes review of related literature and statement of hypothesis |
| Method | gives description of subjects, instrument used, procedures |
| Results or Findings | describes what the author learned from the experiment, statistics |
| Discusson | talks about the significance of the results |
When you examine a scholarly journal article, make sure these elements are present if you are required to find a research report.
Scholarly journals contain many types of articles that are not reports of research. One type is the review article, which summarizes research that has been done on a topic. Typically, review articles have long lists of references. In addition, scholarly articles may take the form of case studies, theoretical articles, and statements of opinion, to name a few.
PsycINFO
The best way to find scholarly journal articles on a psychology topic is to search PsycINFO, a research database published by the American Psychological Association. It covers the world's literature of psychology, including journals, books, chapters, dissertations, technical reports, and other documents. For each item indexed, it has an abstract, and for some, it has the full text. You may use PsycINFO from any networked computer on campus or from home. You may have to follow instructions for off-campus access the first time.
Other Important Databases
PsycINFO is a good database to begin your search for information, but you may wish to search others as well, particularly if your topic borders on another discipline, such as education, medicine, or sociology. The library has over 300 databases that you can search. See the Psychology Research Guide for important databases in related fields.
You may also need to consult a citation index. These important sources will tell you whether an article has been cited by another publication. This way you can use one good article on your topic to help you find more recent related articles. After each article listed in a citation index, you will find a list of references that cite the article. You may also use a citation index to determine how important an author or article is by the number of times it is cited. Carrier Library has two citation indexes:
- Web of Science
- Scopus
Finding a Journal in the Library or Online
To find out whether Carrier Library has a journal you need, search Periodical Locator for the title of the journal, not the title of the article.
Periodical Locator will tell you whether we own the journal, which years we own, and the format. A journal may be in any of the following formats:
| Format | Location |
| current issues | in the Periodicals Room on First Floor |
| bound | in hard-backed print volumes on Second Floor |
| microfiche | in Microform Room on Second Floor |
| electronic form | Link directly to it |
Interlibrary Loan
If you need an article the library does not have, you may request a copy through Interlibrary Loan. The library will then find a library or vendor that has the article you need and obtain a copy.
You may fill out an electronic request form. Most articles are sent electronically. You will be notified by email.
The library does not charge for interlibrary loans.
