ENGL 200 - Expository Writing 2

Library Research Guide

What Are Scholarly Sources?

Scholarly sources are:

written by and for researchers and scholars.
explorations of research and ideas to increase knowledge and understanding.
conversations between scholars on research, methods, and theories.
reviewed by scholars prior to publication.

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article
Shows common features of a scholarly article in the social sciences and sciences.

Use Keywords

Good keywords are essential to good research. So it is a good idea to come up with a list of keywords before you even start researching.

To do so, ask yourself three questions:

1. What do I know about my topic?

2. What do I want to know about my topic?

3. What do I not know about my topic?

List out the answers to those questions using single words or simple phrases. These will become your keywords. Be aware that these keywords may all change as you learn more information through your research.

Be flexible! Different words work in different databases.

Databases for Popular and Scholarly Articles

In addition to using Search It, use these databases to find scholarly and popular articles.

ProQuest Research Library
ProQuest is great for finding popular articles and scholarly articles on almost any topic. It's usually the best place to start!
CQ (Congressional Quarterly) Researcher Plus Archive
CQ Researcher is an essential resource for understanding the most critical events and controversial subjects of the day. It covers a wide range of social, economic, political, environmental and health issues. Excellent place to start for your persuasive research paper.
Diversity Database Suite
Looking for articles about communities and identities? Try this database.
Education Full Text
Contains articles related to education in general and can be narrowed to higher education only. Note: the database is not really all full-text (though the title might make you think otherwise). You'll need to use the Get It button to access articles.

Databases for Newspaper Articles

Use these databases to find newspaper articles.

American Periodicals
Another resources for historic news articles.
New York Times, Historical
Publication Dates Covered: 1851-2020 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Digitized version of The New York Times since its first issue in 1851. Search the full text of articles to find articles on a wide variety of topics. Full name of the database is ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index.

What Are Scholarly Sources?

Scholarly sources are:

written by and for researchers and scholars.
explorations of research and ideas to increase knowledge and understanding.
conversations between scholars on research, methods, and theories.
reviewed by scholars prior to publication.

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article
Shows common features of a scholarly article in the social sciences and sciences.