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Scholarly vs Popular Periodicals

This guide explains the differences between scholarly and popular periodicals, and why scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles are considered more credible and authoritative sources for academic writing.

Finding scholarly journal articles

  • You can find articles from scholarly journals, along with newspaper and magazine articles by searching the library databases.

  • Some databases cover a wide-range of topics while others are subject specific. You can start your research using one of the general databases, but also try those listed under the subject you are researching.

  • If you are not sure which databases to use, Ask a Librarian for suggestions. Also look at the Research Guides to see if one was created for your topic.

 

Which Databases Contain Scholarly Journal Articles?

Not all databases give you the option of limiting your search results to scholarly articles.

Databases offered by EBSCOhost and ProQuest contain articles from scholarly journals in addition to popular magazines. 

Listed below are just a small sample of databases that contain scholarly journal articles.

What Databases Contain Newspaper Articles?

Some library databases contain only newspaper articles, while others also include periodicals such as magazines and journals.

Databases that have newspaper articles only: