Remember: if you are stuck or just don't know where to start - you can make an individual research appointment with a reference librarian for help.
Just like with books, there are several ways to find and access scholarly articles and dissertations. However, your best place to start is in Summon.
Search the BGSU library catalog alongside the vast majority of our journal content at one time using Summon. Find and link to full text articles in scholarly journals and newspapers, ebooks, and images.
When conducting your research, it is important for you to distinguish between journal articles and magazine articles. Databases are used to find and identify articles from peer-reviewed journals and other types of documents.
Journal articles are usually referred to as "scholarly," while magazine articles are commonly considered "popular."
Consider these points when differentiating between journals and magazines:
| Criteria | Scholarly Journal | Popular Magazine/Blog/Online Publication |
| Audience | Academics and/or Researchers, Professionals | General Public |
| Authors | Experts and/or Specialists | Journalists and/or Freelance Writers |
| Editorial Review/Peer Review | Journal Editorial Board and peer reviewers | Professional Editors |
| Reference/Works Cited | Yes | Not always required or provided |
Although Summon is a great place to start, there are other database options - especially for history specific research.
Over a thousand full-text scholarly journals and books covering all subjects in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. History, economics, art, literature, and mathematics are particularly strong. All journal titles are archived back to the first issue, many dating from the early 1800s. JSTOR now also hosts the complete ArtSTOR collection.
Index to scholarly journal articles from international historical journals, covering the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present.
Index to scholarly articles covering topics such as history, music, literature, philosophy and religion.
An interdisciplinary collection of hundreds of high quality, peer-reviewed, scholarly journals in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. All titles in the Standard Collection are full text.