Finding Scholarly Articles and Research Data in Education

Kathleen Carterkathy.carter@utb.edu

Arnulfo L. Oliveira Memorial LibraryThe University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College

Modified by Janice W. Butler, January 2007

What is research-quality information? Accurate Appropriate Credible Reliable Relevant

Sources of quality information Books – explanations, facts Journals – studies, literature reviews Magazines – news Newspapers – news Trade publications – news and announcements

in a field or discipline Web sites – can provide all of the above

…and more!

Scholarly Sources Defined Written by experts or "scholars" in a particular

field of study Geared towards researchers, and/or other

experts in the field Peer-reviewed or refereed Evaluated through rigorous process before being

accepted for publication Report the results of original research and offer

complex analysis of a topic.

Why are scholarly sources important to research?The intent of a scholarly source is to offer an

analysis of a topic or issue based on hard research. Authors of scholarly articles have formed a hypothesis, designed a study, and collected and interpreted data to test the hypothesis.

A scholarly article is a method by which researchers can relay results and conclusions to other researchers. Therefore, the presence of point-of-view or bias in the information is significantly reduced.

“…written by experts or "scholars" in a particular field of study.”

Authors of scholarly sources usually focus their research on a narrow topic within a

discipline. have advanced degrees in their field of study. are affiliated with a college or university.

“…usually peer-reviewed or refereed, and go through a rigorous evaluation process…”

A panel of respected experts in the field review articles for weakness in research design and execution, data errors, and potential bias before accepting the article for publication. Journals that require this process may be called…

peer-reviewed or refereed journals.

“…report the results of original research and offer complex analysis of a topic.”

Articles that report original research state a hypothesis outline a plan for testing the hypothesis

(methodology) report and analyze findings of study and state

conclusions.

“geared towards researchers, and/or other experts in the field.”

Scholarly sources assume the reader has considerable knowledge

of the field. use technical language and terminology. build upon or add to existing research in a given

field; refer to important studies, researchers, etc. provide extensive bibliographies of resources for

further review by the reader.

A published study is an article

published in a scholarly journal

that reports research findings.

Published studies are primary

sources.

What is a study?

Original research articles typically include:

Abstract Literature Review Methodology/Procedures Conclusion/Findings List of References

Not everything in scholarly journals is "research"

Scholarly journals can include: Literature reviews Research/Studies Case Studies Book reviews Editorials

Peer Reviewed Journals

Peer reviewed journals contain

articles that are reviewed and

approved by a panel of experts in

a field before they are published. 

A few examples: Journal of Technology Education Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Journal of Computing in Teacher Education Journal of Research on Technology in Teacher

Education USDLA Journal

Finding Journal Articles Search online technology databases

available via the Library Web site.

Browse for papers in online technology journals.

Use a search engine (Yahoo, Google) to find free journals on the Web.

What is a database? Collection of records that can be searched and

retrieved online.

Used to search for journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.

Provide citations, abstracts and sometimes full text journal articles.

Search for articles by subject, keyword, title and more!

Databases to Know AboutMulti-disciplinary Periodical DatabasesAcademic Search Premier Expanded Academic ASAPProquest Research LibraryWilsonWeb OmniFile Full Text

Education Periodical DatabasesEducation Collection: Sage Full TextERICProfessional Development Collection

Possible Related DatabasesPsychology and Behavioral Sciences CollectionPsycARTICLESPsycINFO

Using the E-journal Portal

1. Go to: http://library.utb.edu/

2. Click on Online Journals link

3. Enter your title in the search box.

4. Follow the link to the appropriate database to access the journal you need. Take note of the dates of availability.

Journals can be browsed by title or subject.

Begin your search at the UTB online library. If you are off campus, you will need to login using your student ID and your pin number.

Username:Your username is your first initial, last initial and your 7-digit UTB/TSC ID number.  For example, if your name is John Doe,and

your ID number is 0123456, your username would be JD0123456.

Password: Your password is your 4-digit PIN.

If you do not know your PIN, click here.

Note: This username and password is also used to login to MyUTBTSC (Blackboard) and the Gemini server.

Getting Help

Visit – The Reference Desk, Library 1st floor Call – (956) 882-7205 Email – library@utb.edu Chat – Ask a UT System Librarian

http://www.lib.utsystem.edu/students/ask.html