What is a "scholarly journal" ?

A scholarly journal is one that is written for and by researchers in a given field of study. These journals contain articles that report on new research. Before an article can be published for the public, a panel of established researchers review the article and deem it important enough for publication. This process is referred to as "peer reviewed".

You may find it helpful to read a bit from the introductory material in the front of the journal to determine whether it is considered scholarly. You will be able to determine the nature of the articles accepted for publication and whether it is peer reviewed. Articles from popular magazines are often timely and based on fact but do not contain the important research basis of information that the facts are derived from. Examples of scholarly journals are: Journal of Economic Research; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; Foriegn Policy; Psychological Reports. These are examples of journals that contain the most recent research in their respective fields of study.

If you have trouble determining whether a journal is scholarly or not, please stop by the reference desk or give us a call at ext. 5087.

Do I have to look through the table of contents to find articles in these journals?

NO! Curry Library has many indexes available that you can use to find articles that pertain to your subject. Many of the indexes are subject specific such as CINAHL (Nursing), Business and Company Profiles, Psychological Index, ATLA index of Religious Literature . Others are more general in nature like InfoTrac, Academic Premier, MasterFile Elite.

Go to the Curry Library Home Page and choose Web Indexes and Databases.

If you have trouble accessing the indexes please contact reference at ext. 5087 or reference@william.jewell.edu