Academic Research Booklet

Journal articles Journal articles—written by academics and researchers—are credible sources and should be central to your research. Find via One Search on Access-IT or click here to view all databases provided by the library.

Key Resources: JSTOR: Over 2 million academic articles—an excellent place to start.

Google Scholar: Searches scholarly material and supports Boolean operators to refine results. Articles sometimes hidden behind paywalls, email Ms Eldred if you cannot access an article. ResearchGate: Offers millions of articles (some require a request). Access it via the school library pages to avoid needing an account—email the Ms Eldred with the title if you’d like help requesting an article.

Effective use of time Journal articles often contain dense information therefore make the best use of your time by only reading those that are truly relevant to your research. Read the abstract or first and last paragraphs first. Use CTRL+F (Windows) or CMD+F (Mac) to find keywords. Read around those keywords to ensure you understand the context before deciding whether to read in full. ⚠️ Be cautious: using keyword searches or indexes can help you scan quickly, but may lead to information being taken out of context. Always read around key points to understand their meaning properly.