Library Research 101: How to Get Started

What are the different types of articles?

Scholarly articles 

• Include in-text citations to other sources in the article
• Include a bibliography or reference list will at the end 
• Will be written for an academic audience 
• Will assume some familiarity with the topic

Peer-Reviewed articles

• Include in-text citations to other sources in the article
• Include a bibliography or reference list at the end 
• Will have sources written by other experts in a particularly field (usually with a PhD)
• Will be authored by experts in the field (usually with a PhD)
• Will be reviewed by a panel of experts before it is published
• Will be written for an academic audience
• Will assume familiarity with the topic

Trade articles

• May or may not include in-text citations to other sources
• Will not usually include a reference list
• Are written by practioners in a field (e.g. dentist, accountant)
• Are written for other practioners in a field
• May assume familiarity with the topic
• Are generally shorter than scholarly or peer-reviewed articles

Popular articles

• Usually will not include in-text citations or a bibliography
• Will be written for a general audience
• May Include pictures or photos
• May be 'short' (i.e. 1 to 2 pages) in length
• are often authored by someone not an expert in a field

Now that you know what an article is these are some of the places you can find articles. In general the library's resources (print and online journals, online databases, and OneSearch) are best when you are looking for peer-reviewed, scholarly or trade articles. Also unlike sources found on the open web you will not face a paywall or have to worry about misinformation.

Open web resources include things from Google or other search engines and information provided from social media sites. While it is possible to find some scholarly or peer-reviewed articles this way you will often face a paywall to access them. Also information from these sources is harder to verify for things like accuracy and may be biased. 

Where can I find an article? From the Library  The Library Website a library database (scholarly, peer-reviewed, trade articles, and news) One Search (scholarly, peer-reviewed, trade and popular articles) Individual journal titles (scholarly, peer-reviewed or trade articles)  In a 'bound journal' in the library (print) In a newspaper In a print magazine   The Open Web Google (best for popular and news articles, the occasional journal article) Google Scholar (scholarly and peer-reviewed articles) Newspaper websites (New York Times, Wall Street Journal etc.) (newspaper articles) Magazine Websites (Time, The Economist, etc.)