All databases will give you the option of limiting your search to Scholarly or Peer Reviewed articles.
Do not check the Full-Text only box. This will limit you to only the full-text available in THAT database, not to the extensive list of journals that are available from the Cheng Library.
If you are working on a major research project, keep a search journal recording the databases you used, the search terms you tried, and the success of the search. This can keep you from repeating an unsuccessful search.
If your topic is too broad, you'll get too many articles (over 200).
If you get too few or no results, check your spelling, or use related search terms, e.g. instead of grade 12, try secondary education.
Look at the descriptors or subject terms to identify appropriate search terms.
Use the term, and, to narrow your search, e.g. computers and instruction.
Avoid using complete sentences or prepositional phrases in the search box.
Different databases use different search terms. You may need to adjust your search terms as you move from one database to another.
Here are links and brief descriptions of the Library databases that can be used to find articles about education.
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Peer-Reviewed |
Not Peer-Reviewed |
When conducting research, you will usually be asked to find Scholarly Articles, or artices from a Scholarly Journal, rather than popular sources (like magazines and newspapers).
Not sure what the difference is between scholarly and popular? Check out this short tutorial: Scholarly v. Popular
By phone
Call 973-720-2116
The Reference Desk is staffed until 10PM Sunday-Friday and until 8:00pm on Saturday.
By e-mail
Send your question to the Reference Desk via email - refdesk@wpunj.edu Allow 24 hours for a response.
Schedule a Research Appointment
Contact the library for an appointment with a Reference Librarian: Schedule Research Help