When conducting research it is important to distinguish between journal articles and magazine articles.
Journal articles are typically referred to as scholarly, academic, refereed or peer-reviewed while magazine articles are usually considered popular or even sensational. Always know which type is acceptable for your research.
What is a scholarly journal?
The main difference between scholarly journals and general interest or popular magazines is that these articles go through a "peer review" process before they are published. What does this mean?
Check the Anatomy of a Scholarly Article. It is an interactive guide to a scholarly article
If you're not sure whether a journal is scholarly, look at our checklist.
Searching an individual database is often the most efficient way to find scholarly and other types of articles on a topic. Our Research database page offers you access to over 100 databases to search for articles. To start your research in the fields of Education/Special Education we recommend:
Is your topic in the news? Try one of these for access to newspapers, magazines, and current affairs. Note that newspaper articles are NOT scholarly.
The database only gives me a citation, or just an abstract. How do I find the full text?
The Where Can I Get This link lets you know if the full-text of the article is available:
Make sure to look for the Where Can I Get This link on the database page!
Find out more about Interlibrary Loans.
Check your Interlibrary Loan Account.
Browse full-text electronic Education journals here. Includes subscription based and open access journals.