WSDB 292: Library Guide
Our Sofia Discovery tool search box can be a good place to find items, but not so great for TOPIC searching! Also try these databases to find research on your topic:
- Academic Search Complete (large & multidisciplinary)
- SocINDEX
- Gender Studies Database
- LGBTQ+ Life Fulltext
- Race Relations Abstracts
Any or all of these 6 EBSCO databases above can be searched TOGETHER
*just select Choose Databases
More tips:
- To enter terms correctly see this SEARCH STRATEGIES CHEAT SHEET.
- You can click on the Scholarly/Peer-reviewed journals/Academic Articles checkbox in most of the databases above to ensure that the citations you choose are acceptable peer-reviewed articles. See also Evaluating Sources.
- Use the Findit@Concordia button within the databases to try and access the text of the articles. See also ACCESSING the texts.
GOOGLE SCHOLAR
- search Google Scholar
- set up Google Scholar to find Concordia Resources
- TIP:
If you have found an interesting article that is not very recent, enter Google scholar use the "Cited by" link to find similar and more recent articles
MORE USEFUL TIPS:
- For Quick Tips on how to enter search terms in most of these databases, see this one-page SEARCH STRATEGIES CHEAT SHEET.
- You can click on the Scholarly/Peer-reviewed journals/Academic Articles checkbox in most of the databases above to ensure that the citations you choose are acceptable peer-reviewed articles. See also Evaluating Sources.
IS IT SCHOLARLY/ACADEMIC/PEER-REVIEWED?
Your professor's instructions should always be the first criteria in determining what qualifies as an appropriate academic source. If you feel you need additional guidance in this area, however, you might find some relevant tips in the guides below.
- Our library tutorial on: How do I know if an article is scholarly or peer reviewed?
- A quick tip or quick video from our library guide about peer-reviewed articles
- Scholarly vs. Popular Sources guide from Berkeley (for book chapters as well as journal articles)
- Peer-review in 3 minutes (NCSU Libraries)
When evaluating the quality of a variety of material, the following library guide might provide some help:
- How to evaluate research materials and resources
- ACT UP Evaluation Method (an alternative approach that tries to "push against dominant narratives")
The following guides include instructions and examples:
- APA citation guide (Concordia Library)
- More APA citation style guides