Finding Primary (Scholarly) Sources
Scientific research articles are often found in academic databases and journals. Here are some ways to look for information:
- Science DirectScience Direct is a full-text scholarly article database. You should find a combination of research and review articles here.
- Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new windowAcademic Search Complete contains a mixture of scholarly and popular articles on a variety of topics. Make sure you've picked "Scholarly (Peer-reviewed) Journals" in the options to the left when searching.
- Google ScholarGoogle scholar is also work checking for articles on your topic. See the box below to understand how to get from a citation to the full-text of an article.
Getting to the Full-Text of Your Articles
If you've found a citation in Academic Search Complete or Google Scholar, but can't get to the full text of the article, where do you turn next? Watch the video below to see a description of Journal Locator and Interlibrary Loan.
- Journal LocatorSearch for Journal tile (not article title) or ISSN to get a list of which journals we own in print or online and browse to the full-text of articles we own.
- Interlibrary Loan Articles FormUse the form above to request items the COD library does not own. You can usually get a link to the requested article in about 3-5 business days.
Building Context: Secondary Sources
Not sure how to read or interpret your scholarly articles? Take a look at the resources below:
- CatalogSearch the catalog to find books about your topic. What if the COD Library doesn't have what you need? Email me (contact info on the right) and/or use I-Share to make a request.
- Gale eBooksGale includes encyclopedia entries that might define concepts, techniques, or other confusing words you may find in your scholarly articles.
Cite
Need some help putting together citations? Check out the helpful links below:
- Dalhousie University Libraries' CSE style guide.
- Check out Ecology online to see examples of how they format articles and citations.
