For the most comprehensive results, try more than one database. While each database offers different features, these search hints apply to most:
►Refine search results by adding other limits such as year, language, full text, etc.
►Sort by date, author, title, or relevance.
►Look for links to view full text of articles online.
►For articles that are not part of Memorial Library's collection, look for a link to request interlibrary loan. Often, these links will automatically fill in the request form for - just log in to your Library Account.
This link opens in a new windowIf you're searching for articles in certain databases, you can limit your search to peer-reviewed sources simply by selecting a tab or checking a box on the search screen.
If you have an article, an indication that it has been through the peer review process will be the publication history, usually at the beginning or end of the article.
If you're looking at the journal itself, go to the editorial statement or instructions to authors (usually in the first few pages of the journal or at the end) for references to the peer-review process.
Careful! Not all information in a peer-reviewed journal is actually reviewed. Editorials, letters to the editor, book reviews, and other types of information don't count as articles, and may not be accepted by your professor.
In many cases, the database will provide a link to full text. But when it doesn't, or if the link doesn't work, what do you do?
►Check the Journal Locator!
Enter the title of the journal (not the article information) in the search box. Look for Full Text Available listings that include the year you need & click on the journal title.
If there's no link to full text, look for Print copies at your library. Click on the journal title & look carefully at the holdings information to determine location.