Skip to Main Content

Nursing Education and Career Development: Journal & Scholarly Articles

Journal & Scholarly Articles

How do I find Scholarly Articles I can use for my research?

Search for journal articles using WCC Bison SIngle Search to discover/find journal articles for your research project/paper by topic or keyword. The single search will search all of Erwin Library's database subscriptions simultaneously. 

CINAHL Complete - offers an extensive collection of more than 700 full-text journals, including many of the top-ranked titles in this discipline:

  • Enter Search Term into the box and click the Search button
  • Click  the Academic Journals checkbox in the Source Types menu at the top of the Results List
  • Click the Full Text button at the top of the Results List to limit the results to full-text
  • Click the Peer Reviewed button at the top of the Results List to limit the results to scholarly articles

Can't Find It?  We'll Try Another Library for You!

Even though a journal article is not available in any of the Erwin Library databases, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). 

You may place your request in person at the Erwin Circulation Desk, by telephone (919.739.6891), or by submitting an online request from the Interlibrary Loan link on the library’s webpage.

Where do Scholarly Articles Come From?  From Scholarly Periodicals:

Periodicals are published as installments all during the year at a set number of times, unlike the one-time publication dates of a book:

  • Newspapers may be published daily, such as the Goldsboro News-Argus; smaller ones may be published weekly, like the Snow Hill Standard Laconic; reporters may or may not be subject experts for the articles they write.
  • Magazines are often published monthly, sometimes weekly, and have short articles, many illustrations, and many advertisements that support the publishing of the periodical and pay the authors of the articles.  
  • Scholarly periodicals are usually published monthly, bi-monthly (every two months), or quarterly. They are usually only available by subscription in the mail, not at a newsstand. They are expensive because of the editorial work that goes into making sure the articles are the product of accurate research, sound scholarly methodology, and a useful contribution to a very focused area of study in the subject area.  Authors are not usually paid for their articles.

Databases subscribed to by the Erwin Library contain thousands of academic journals, from which you can find scholarly articles, including "peer-reviewed" if specified by your instructor. 

What does Peer-Reviewed Mean?

Peer-Reviewed (or "Refereed") Means that:

  1. Copies of an article submitted to a journal for publication are sent out by the journal's editors to:
    • Outside, acknowledged expert scholars or researchers in the article's subject area (i.e. "peers" or "referees")
    • Who are not on salary with the journal, so are completely impartial
  2. Each of these "peer" reviewers:
    • Read the article
    • Evaluate the validity of its methodology, collection and assessment of data, as well as the conclusions drawn from it by the author
    • Make comments and/or recommendations for rejection, revision or publication of the article in the journal
    • Return the article copy and any comments to the journal editors
  3. On the basis of these "peer" evaluations, the journal editors:
    • May return the article to the author as unacceptable for publication
    • May return the article to the author as possible for publication with revisions
    • Or accept the article for publication as submitted

Thus, the Peer-Review process helps ensure the Authority, Relevance and Currency of published research articles.

How do I Know a Journal is Peer-Reviewed?

A Journal is Peer-Reviewed (sometimes called "Refereed") If:

  • Its Editorial Statement, Article submission instructions or Information for authors states the journal is peer-reviewed
  • Its Editorial Board includes a list of outside peer reviewers

To Find this Information About a Journal:

  • For print journals look inside the front cover
  • For electronic journals:
    • "Google" the journal title (HINT:  You will often be directed to a professional organization's website which is responsible for publishing the journal, and find a separate link for information about the journal itself)
    • Find and click an About link for the journal itself
    • Or, directly access Author Information and/or Submission Guidelines

 

Take the Research Essentials: Understanding Peer Review Tutorial to learn more.

 

Scholarly Periodicals

How do I Identify a Scholarly Periodical?

  • Obviously published by and for experts in an academic field or discipline, in order to share their research
  • Not a magazine or newspaper easily purchased in a store rack
  • No bright covers or glossy pages, with few illustrations (usually only graphs, charts, figures, etc.)
  • Usually published monthly or quarterly, not daily or weekly (peer review takes a long time to complete)
  • Often published by a University Press, or a well-respected professional organization, such as "The American Medical Association" or "Modern Language Society"
  • Titles of publication often include "Journal," "Review," "Quarterly"
  • Editors of the journal have recognized expertise in their fields, indicated by their listed credentials and affiliations
  • Articles are often sent out to "peers" in the same subject area as the article authors for expert opinion, and possible major revisions by the article authors, before the articles are finally approved for publication (hence, "peer-reviewed" or "refereed")
  • Longer articles, usually much more than five pages
  • Long article titles, since the topic covered is much more focused and specific
  • Credentials (such as Ph.D.) or affiliations (Professor of English at Yale) identify authors, usually printed after their names
  • Abstracts, or summaries, are printed with the articles
  • Vocabulary in each article shows that the author knows the terminology used in his or her field, including specific scientific terms of identification, for instance, instead of popular, general ones
  • Footnotes, Endnotes, Works Cited, Bibliographies, or other citations of references used by the author are printed, often at great length
  • Bios of authors in each issue ("Contributors" or "In this Issue" sections) list each author's other scholarly publications in the same subject area as the current one

Evaluate Article for Scholarly Content

Have I Found a Scholarly Article I can Use?  Ask yourself:

Who is the author?

Is the author affiliated with (works for)  a university, college, or research organization?

What kind of publication is it?

Is the article in an academic journal, a scholarly periodical?

Does the author cite other scholars?

Is there a Bibliography or References list?

How is the information organized?

Does the article progress logically from an introduction, to research, ending with a conclusion, supported by other research?

When was it published?

Sometimes, articles published more than ten years ago may be considered out of date. How old is too old depends on the discipline and the requirements of your assignment.

Does it relate to my research?

Read the abstract and then look at the full text to decide if the article actually relates to your research topic.