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.
Coverage: Mostly 2006 to the present
Users: Unlimited simultaneous users
Contains: BGSU has purchased 86 titles on Project MUSE and has access to around 1,800 open access titles. The collection is particularly strong in humanities and social sciences subjects.
Best for: A wide range of academic subjects
Printing: From pdfs
Download: Each chapter is a downloadable pdf
Compatible with: Anything with a web browser, pdf