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DHS 3000 Dr. Lee: Home

Learning outcomes for today's session

  • construct a search strategy for locating literature related to your research question

  • Identify types of research articles to determine relevance and fit for your project

  • Recognize correct APA citation format for journal articles (periodicals)

Exploring Peer-Reviewed Articles in Library Databases

1. Develop a search strategy.

  • Identify 2-4 keywords that describe the main concepts that should be represented in the sources you will include in your project.
  • Combine each concept with AND
  • Use the handout linked below (Generating and Combining Keywords) to learn more about identifying synonyms and related terms for a more thorough and efficient search.

2. Enter the search strategy you created in step 1 into the EBSCO suite of databases (linked below) to search for the scholarly conversation related to your research question.

Pro tip: You can also access the EBSCO suite of databases from our library home page (bgsu.edu/library). It's two tabs over from the default search box, Summon.

Types of articles published in journals

The "peer reviewed" label will appear with many results you find in EBSCO databases. However, you will need to take a closer look at each result to determine if it's a good fit for your project. For this project, you will most likely need to focus your attention on original research studies. The handout below describes the differences between the types of articles published in academic journals.

In-class activity: How is this APA citation different than the examples provided?

Instructions

Step 1. Open this document

Step 2. Click on the article title.

Step 3. Click on "Cite" in the right-hand column

Step 4. Scroll down until you see APA 7th ed. style

Step 5. Pay attention to details such as: punctuation, format (such as italics), and capitalization. Compare the example citations provided above with the rough draft citation provided by the database.

What Did You Learn?

Ongoing Support for this Assignment

Research Support

  • Schedule a one-on-one appointment with your librarian. Use the "Schedule Appointment" button in the "Librarian" box on this page.

EBSCO Tutorial

Reading Strategies

Writing Support (In-person and Virtual)

Citing Sources in APA Style

Librarian

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Maureen Barry
she/her/hers
Contact:
152 Jerome Library
419-372-3847