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California History Guide (HIST3790 - Summer 2017 - Taylor)

This guide includes resources to help you with your Annotated Bibliography and your Research paper.

Find Books Using the Library Catalog

Use the Library Catalog to search for books or videos in the library including ebooks. Use the Subject or Keyword search if you don't have a particular title or author in mind.

You can also find eBooks listed along print books. Look for the ebook icon to find them: 

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Recommended databases that include Peer-Reviewed articles:

Peer-reviewed articles are published in Academic Journals (not regular magazines), and have been evaluated by scientists, academic researchers, professors, or by others experts working in the same field. They have an extra layer of authority and respect. 

Scholarly, peer-reviewed articles (also called “refereed”) are required for academic research. Scholars and researchers publish their findings almost exclusively in scholarly and academic periodicals (also called journals). Before being accepted for publication, these articles must be evaluated by experts in the field by a process called “peer-review.” This process insures the information is: 

  • Accurate
  • Authoritative
  • Original
  • Expands the understanding of the subject or area of study

Popular magazines may provide articles that address similar subjects as the scholarly journals, but these articles have not been evaluated by experts in the field, therefore, are not peer-reviewed, and are written for the general public. The intentions of popular periodicals are to give an overview of a topic, entertain, sell a product, or promote a viewpoint. 

Scholarly Peer-Reviewed articles

Popular Magazine articles
  • Plain, sober, or serious in appearance
  • Often provides an abstract, or descriptive summary
  • Always cite their sources in a bibliography
  • Written by scholars or researchers, for scholars and researchers
  • The author’s affiliations (university, research institution, professional organization) are always present
  • Written in specialized or scientific terms or jargon specific to the discipline
  • Few advertisements
  • May be published by a university or academic organization
  • Report on original research or experimentation

Examples:

  • American Economic Review
  • Annual Review of Psychology
  • JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association
  • Journal of Theoretical Biology
  • Literary Ethics
  • Modern American Literature
  • Theory, Culture & Society
  • Glossy, slick, or eye-catching in appearance
  • Do not provide an abstract
  • News and general interest periodicals sometimes cite sources, though more often they do not
  • Written by a journalist for the general public or people in a particular field (trade magazines)
  • Written in layman or general language
  • Published by commercial companies, although some by professional organizations
  • Many advertisements
  • Provide entertainment or information to a broad audience
  • May be written in a more “sensational” style intending to arouse strong interest or reaction.

Examples:

  • Psychology Today
  • National Geographic
  • Time
  • Reader’s Digest
  • Scientific American
  • Smithsonian
  • The Economist
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