Finding Scholarly/Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Characteristics of a Peer Reviewed Scholarly Article
- Author or authors are experts in their field. It will list the institution/research institute that they are affiliated with e.g. Mount Royal University
- Article appears in a publication that employs peer review to ensure the quality of the articles it publishes. This is usually indicated on the journal homepage or you can refer to Ulrich's Directory where journals with peer review are indicated with a striped referee shirt next to the title
- The title will be very specific, clearly identifying the research question the article is exploring
- The intended audience is other experts in the field, so the language used may include lots of jargon or advanced terminology. Give yourself extra time to read the article for this reason.
- The article itself will be long (typically more than 3 pages)
- Outside sources of information are clearly cited throughout (you should expect to see a lot of footnotes/endnotes/entries on a bibliography)
Examples of Peer Reviewed Scholarly Articles
LibrarySearch refers to the search box on the Library homepage
Tips for Using LibrarySearch to Find Religious Studies Scholarly Articles
- To search for an exact phrase use quotation marks "intramural sport"
- To include mutiple word endings, use the asterisk e.g. student*, Canad*
- Once you have run your search, use the limits on the left hand side to limit to Peer Reviewed and Resource Type - Articles.
- Note: The peer reviewed limit doesn't work perfectly - you have to look at the full text of the article to confirm it is a scholarly research article. Refer to the characteristics listed in an earlier tab.
- Select "Expand your results beyond MRU Library" to make sure you are seeing the broadest range of research on your topic. If we don't have a copy of the article you are interested in, you can request it for free using our interlibrary loan service.
Google Scholar is another tool that can be used to find peer reviewed scholarly articles. Please note that there isn't a review process as to what gets added to Google Scholar, so make sure you critically evaluate the sources you find.
If you are using Google Scholar at home, it is important to change the settings to see links to the full text of articles through MRU Library
In Settings, select Library Links. Search for MRU Library. Check the box "Full-text@MRU Library" and click save.
You will now see links for Full-Text@MRU Library next to your search results
Examples of Relevant Peer Reviewed Journals
Requesting an Article through Interlibrary Loan
If you choose to expand your LibrarySearch beyond MRU library, you may come across articles that are not full text in our collection.
In such cases, though, you can request a copy through our free interlibrary loan service.
Click on "Not available at MRU Library," scroll to the Get It section. Select Interlibrary Loan (you may need to log first to see this option).
Need help understanding research methods?
-
Sage Research Methods OnlineResearch methods instruction and training tool, covering quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. Includes research methods cases, downloadable teaching datasets & video tutorials.
The Library also has a wide variety of books on designing and understanding research - use LibrarySearch to locate them
Here are some examples
-
Research literacy for health and community practice
ISBN: 1773382810Publication Date: 2021In its second edition, Research Literacy for Health and Community Practice introduces students to fundamental research concepts that will enable them to think critically about research and recognize effective methods for understanding and utilizing research for practice. -
Understanding Quantitative Data in Educational Research
by
ISBN: 9781473982154Publication Date: 2021-03-08This book is designed to help you gain confidence in analysing and interpreting quantitative data and using appropriate statistical tests, by exploring, in plain language, a variety of data analysis methods. Highly practical, each chapter includes step-by-step instructions on how to run specific statistical tests using R, practical tips on how to interpret results correctly and exercises to put into practice what you have learned. It also includes guidance on how to use R and RStudio, how to visualise quantitative data, and the fundamentals of inferential statistics, estimations and hypothesis testing. -
Encyclopedia of Research Design
by
ISBN: 1412961270Publication Date: 2010-06-22Research design can be daunting for all types of researchers. At its heart it might be described as a formalized approach toward problem solving, thinking, and acquiring knowledge--the success of which depends upon clearly defined objectives and appropriate choice of statistical tools, tests, and analysis to meet a project′s objectives. Comprising more than 500 entries, the Encyclopedia of Research Design explains how to make decisions about research design, undertake research projects in an ethical manner, interpret and draw valid inferences from data, and evaluate experiment design strategies and results. -
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods
by
ISBN: 9781412941631Publication Date: 2008-08-21Qualitative research is designed to explore the human elements of a given topic, while specific qualitative methods examine how individuals see and experience the world. Qualitative approaches are typically used to explore new phenomena and to capture individuals′ thoughts, feelings, or interpretations of meaning and process. Such methods are central to research conducted in education, nursing, sociology, anthropology, information studies, and other disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and health sciences. Qualitative research projects are informed by a wide range of methodologies and theoretical frameworks. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods presents current and complete information as well as ready-to-use techniques, facts, and examples from the field of qualitative research in a very accessible style.
Finding work by MRU Researchers
-
ScopusSearch by affliation to see research published by MRU scholars
-
MRU Authors CollectionBooks written by MRU affiliated authors
-
MRU Open Access RepositoryA collection of scholarly work by MRU students, staff and faculty
Librarian
Librarian
Email: cmerkley@mtroyal.ca
Phone: 403.440.5068