How to Find Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles - ANTH 105 - Lucas - Library Guides at College of Southern Nevada

What is a peer-reviewed journal article?

As a student at CSN, you have access to many academic journals through the CSN Library's website. Articles published in an academic journal have typically gone through the peer review process. This the process where experts in a specific field evaluate articles for their originality, validity, and significance. They are looking at whether or not the research being presented can be supported by evidence and what exactly this article is contributing to the field. This is why peer-reviewed journal articles are considered the most credible type of information.

Finding Peer-Reviewed Articles at CSN Libraries

You can search through the CSN Libraries Find Articles page to search for peer-reviewed research on your topic.

Whether you are searching through the CSN Library catalog or a specific database, using filters will help you narrow down the results to get the type of sources best-suited for your research. The image below is an example of the recommended filters you can use on the library's catalog. If you are searching through a specific database, the filters may look different but remain generally the same.

Recommended filters:

Full Text Online will ensure that you are able to read the full article, not just an excerpt.
Peer Reviewed Journals will give you articles that have been reviewed by experts in the field to ensure academic quality.
Selecting Journal Articles narrows down your search to the type of material you are interested in.
For science-related research, try searching for sources from the last 5-10 years as information is rapidly changing.
Choose relevant topic areas under Subject (ex. Anthropology, Social Sciences).

CSN Databases

While the library's main search bar searches all of our databases at once, you can also search for resources in specific databases. This strategy is particularly helpful if you want to focus more within your discipline or browse other sources to get ideas. The following databases are the most relevant to this course.

All Databases at CSN Libraries

Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Academic journals, magazines, reports, books, and select newspapers on virtually any subject.
AnthroSource This link opens in a new window
Scholarly anthropological journal articles from the American Anthropological Association (AAA).
EBSCO Complete This link opens in a new window
Search across more than 20 subject collections for a variety of sources including journal articles and books.
HRAF World Cultures This link opens in a new window
Information on all aspects of cultural and social life, organized into cultures and ethnic groups.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
An archive of scholarly articles from a variety of disciplines: business, health, literature, math, the sciences, and more.
ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
Interdisciplinary collection of magazine, journal and newspaper articles.

Google Scholar

For all kinds of tricky citations, Google Schola r can be your saving grace. If you have just a partial citation (like an author, date, and subject) use the Advanced Search in Google Scholar to piece together the missing information.

Google Scholar is a go-to source for academic librarians, and you can use it too!