Psychology

Provides guidance on information resources and search strategies on conducting library research in psychology.

How to read scholarly articles

 

 

 

OpenURL Linker

Use OpenURL to request articles when full text is not available.

  • Click the OpenURL icon adjacent to the database search results to locate an electronic or print article.
  • If article not available online (in a different database) or in print (in the library), click Submit an Interlibrary Loan Request to request a copy.
  • If you are not a registered user, click First Time User and complete the form.
  • You will receive a link to the electronic article (pdf) by e-mail in 3-5 working days.

LibrarySearch: Start Here!

Check out LibrarySearch! It searches for books, articles, videos, and other types of information in one place. It also searches the resources in the libraries of the UMaine system. Visit the link below for more information or to being your search.

General resources for finding articles

Peer-Review and Evaluating Articles

What does Peer-Reviewed mean? 

A scholarly periodical requires that each article submitted for publication be judged by an independent panel of experts (scholarly or scientific peers). Articles not approved by a majority of these peers are not accepted for publication by the journal. Peer-reviewed articles are generally considered to be scholarly and reliable resources.

Peer-Review Process Explained: 

How do I tell the difference between scholarly articles, popular articles, and trade articles?

 

A table below shows the differences between scholarly journals, magazines, and professional/trade journals.

  Scholarly Journals Magazines Professional/Trade Journals
Written by scholars / researchers journalists journalists / industry experts
Written for professors, students general public people who work in that field
Looks like mostly text, may have charts and graphs glossy covers, many advertisements, and photographs glossy covers and industry specific ads
Articles contains original search/analysis
 usually signed by the author
 long articles
 written in scholarly/technical lang.
 contain bibliographies
 peer-reviewed
info about current events, trends, pop culture
 not always signed by the author
 short articles
 written for general reader
 no bibliographies
 not peer-reviewed
report on industry news & trends
 not always signed by author
 short articles
 written in tech lang. specific to industry
 may be bibliographies
 could be peer-reviewed
Examples Studies in Short Fiction,
 Journal of Chemical Education
Time, Newsweek,
 Ladies Home Journal
RNAccounting Review,
 Library Journal

 

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