Review our Search Strategies page for tips on getting the most out of your Google search results.
Google Scholar provides an easy way to search for scholarly literature across many disciplines and resources. It also links to Elmira College's full-text content.
To help you identify websites, see if there is a Subject Guide for your research topic. Internet resources are listed on the Websites tab.
If you cannot find a relevant subject guide, remember to evaluate the websites you find before you using them in your research assignments.
Periodicals are publications which are issued at regular intervals, such as journals, magazines, and newspapers.
To help you identify different periodicals, refer to the Types of Periodicals guide.
Depending on the database you are using, articles may be displayed in different formats:
Index: Includes only the article citation (i.e., author, title, date, etc.). Neither a summary, nor the full-text of the article are available.
Abstract: Includes the citation and a summary of the article's content. It does not include the full-text article.
Full-text: Includes the citation and full-text article. This may be in HTML, .pdf, or both formats.
Peer-reviewed articles are reviewed by objective peer scholars (referees) in the field prior to publication to guarantee that the research is credible and sound. Scholarly articles are written by experts, but do not necessarily go through the peer review process.
Scholarly articles usually:
are written by one or several experts (scholar, professor, researcher) in the field
are written for experts using technical language
include an abstract, literature review of related research, methodology, data, conclusion
contain notes and bibliographic references
By using scholarly articles you support your arguments with expert documentation, and engage in the scholarly exchange of ideas.
Many databases include only scholarly articles. Others allow you to select them in your search results.