Getting started with Databases
When starting your search, remember that library databases consist of both scholarly/peer reviewed articles, and popular articles.
What makes an article "scholarly"?
- Scholarly articles are written for subject experts and academic audiences (faculty, researchers, and students), and use technical language.
- The intent of scholarly articles is to contribute new research and information to a topic in a dicipline, and/or build on existing information.
- Scholarly articles are peer reviewed, meaning that they have undergone an extensive review and editorial process by experts in their field before being published by a scholarly journal.
- Thye include references and citations.
What are popular articles?
- Popular articles are meant to provide information to, or entertain, the general public.
- These sources use non-technical language and are generally easy to understand.
- They include newspapers and magazines.
Information from Research Now!: Explore Information — Understanding & Recognizing Peer Review
General Library Databases (good places to start)
- Academic Search Premier
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Includes articles from scholarly journals and popular magazines covering a wide variety of disciplines with the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
- ScopusScholarly journal articles and conference papers on any topic in science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts & humanities. Includes cited references and h-index information.
- Science Direct e-booksIncludes eBooks on sciences, health and social sciences topics published by Elsevier.
Library Databases for Geography and Earth Sciences
- GeoRef
Includes articles from international geoscience literature, covering engineering and environmental geology, hydrology, and paleontology. North American geology.
- GeoScienceWorldScholarly articles in geosciences, geological, and earth sciences.
- Earth, Atmospheric & Aquatic Science CollectionScholarly articles in the science, technology and management of marine and freshwater environments.
- GreenFILE
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Articles on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and recycling.
- National Geologic Map DatabaseDatabase of geologic maps from the United States Geological Survey.
Evaluate Scholarly Sources:
Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory can be used to determine if a journal is peer-reviewed (also called refereed). Search the journal title in Ulrichsweb and look for this symbol next to the journal title:
- High-impact journals in geographyGeography journals ranked by impact factor in the Journal Citation Reports database.
- High-impact journals in physical geographyPhysical geography journals ranked by impact factor in the Journal Citation Reports database.
