Academic articles, sometimes also called journal articles or scholarly articles, are relatively short publications that academic researchers use to communicate new findings and ideas to other scholars. Articles are compiled in scholarly journals, which are essentially academic magazines that come out on a schedule. Many journal articles are peer-reviewed, which means they've gone through a formal review process before being published.
When & Why to Use Articles:
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Scholarly books are nonfiction books usually based on academic research done by the author or authors. They can contain multiple chapters on different aspects of a particular topic, or they can focus entirely on one concept or idea.
When & Why to Use Scholarly Books:
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Research Skills & Tips:
Sample Terms to Use for Catalog Search:
Call Number Browse:
Browsing the shelves by Library of Congress call numbers can also lead to interesting discoveries. Browse the library shelves: For books on your topic, go to these broad call numbers:
HB | Economic Theory |
HC | Economic History & Conditions |
HD | Industries, Land Use, Labor |
HF | Commerce |
HG | Finance |
HJ | Public Finance |
MC Library has access to streaming videos and audio, as well as DVDs and CDs. Different types of video and audio include documentaries, educational videos, mainstream movies, radio interviews, and podcasts. Additionally, users have access to a variety of images that can be used in their research.
When & Why to Use Videos or Media:
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When & Why to Use Statistics
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When & Why to Use Websites
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A database is essentially a compilation of resources on a particular topic or field of study. Some databases cover multiple topics, and these are called multidisciplinary databases.
When & Why to Use Multidisciplinary Databases:
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The MC Library has access to different kinds of search tools:
Use the tabs in the Search Tools box on this page to find suggested search tools to use for a variety of types of sources.
MC students, faculty, and staff can access all of our search tools and online resources from on- or off-campus.
Research Skills & Tips:
Unlike Google, library databases can't understand an entire sentence. You'll need to break your topic down into the most important ideas: the keywords. Keywords are individual words or short phrases that represent the main ideas in your topic, thesis, or research question.
Example Question: How should the federal government assist to reduce economic damages from the pandemic?
Keywords: federal government, assist, economic damages, pandemic
After you've identified your main ideas and some keywords to start with, think of additional search terms for each concept. These can be synonyms, related ideas, broader terms, or narrower terms. Since a database will match only what you type, using different terms for similar ideas can help you find more articles.
Example Search Terms:
Click on the research issue you're having below to see tips for addressing it:
I'm Not Finding Enough Sources
I'm Finding Irrelevant Sources
None of These Tips Solved My Research Issue
Not Finding Enough Sources
Finding Too Many Sources
Finding Irrelevant Sources
If the options above did not help you find useful results, you may want to:
Research Skills & Tips:
After you've selected your search tool, identified keywords, and fixed research issues, it's time to choose your sources. It is common to get more search results than you will use, so you must evaluate the sources you find to choose the best ones for your research.
Start by scanning the search results to locate sources that fit your research question or need. The search results page will include information about each source, such as the title, year, and abstract, to help you determine its relevance.
Once you've found a source you'd like to use, evaluate its credibility by considering the evidence, source, context, audience, purpose, and execution of the source. Learn more on the Evaluate Information and Fake News guide linked below.
Research Skills & Tips:
This page will help you choose where and how to search for your sources. As you search, use the tips on this page to help you evaluate each source you find.
If you want to locate a particular journal, magazine, or newspaper, instead of an individual article, use the Journals by Title feature in RaptorSearch. Search by publication title, such as Newsweek or Psychological Bulletin, or get a list of all journals on your topic by browsing through the journal categories.