WCSU Libraries

Locating scholarly journal literature on your topic

Also referred to as scholarly periodicals, peer-reviewed periodicals, refereed publications and professional literature. For graduate level research, it is appropriate to focus on retrieving research-based studies published in authoritative, peer-reviewed journals.

It is useful to know the difference between primary and secondary literature. Most of the sources used in your literature review should be primary in nature. Look for original studies that present new information/findings based on empirical data. Your topic will determine how many of these studies you can locate.

• Primary sources are original materials, created at the time of an event or soon thereafter. They are usually created by those who saw an event or collected data themselves (as with empirical studies). They present original thinking, new discoveries or new information.
• Secondary sources describe, interpret, analyse, evaluate, explain or comment on a primary source or event.

Accessing full text scholarly journal articles anywhere...anytime

Use your Windows login to access articles from anywhere on campus. If you are working at another location, make sure to get a library pin code. You will be required to submit it before accessing articles from our databases remotely.

If WCSU does not have access to an article you need, use WCSU Libraries' Interlibrary Loan service to obtain it.

Databases containing education scholarly journal articles

ERIC (through EBSCOhost system)

• user friendly basic search and advanced search options; help is only a mouse click away.
• utilizes ERIC subject headings (called "descriptors" and "identifiers") for targeted, efficient searching (follow the "thesaurus" button to identify descriptors and identifiers for your search, or follow term links to search related articles directly.)
• automatically links to full text of articles (EJs) and documents (EDs) whenever available, even searching other library databases.
• use Ebsco Combined Databases feature, to search ERIC and Academic Search Premier (described below) simultaneously to retrieve more fulltext articles.

Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost)

• contains full text
• limit to Peer Reviewed articles

Educator's Reference Complete (through iCONN)

• access to over 300 full text journals for educators

Expanded Academic ASAP (Gale/Thomson)

• contains full text
• limit to refereed publications

Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science)

• SSCI is a multidisciplinary index to the journal literature of the social sciences, including education.
• offers powerful citation referencing feature.

PsycINFO (EBSCOhost)

• Premier psychology database from the American Psychological Association (APA).
• contains more than 2 million citations and summaries of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations.
• citation database; use "check for availability options" feature to access complete articles.

PsycARTICLES (EBSCOhost)

• Definitive source of searchable full-text, peer-reviewed scholarly and scientific articles in psychology.
• covers general psychology and specialized, basic, applied, clinical and theoretical research.
• large collection of searchable full text articles.

Locating information on tests/measurement instruments

Mental Measurements Yearbook Online (EBSCOhost)

• Online, searchable version of Buros MMY
• 2,000 full text reviews

TIP: Tests in Print (EBSCOhost)

• serves as a comprehensive bibliography to all known commercially available tests that are currently in print in the English language. TIP provides vital information to users including test purpose, test publisher, in-print status, price, test acronym, intended test population, administration times, publication date(s), and test author(s).

GI: Updated 6/08