Scholarly journal articles are a vital source of information for serious researchers. Articles are much shorter than books and focus in-depth on very specific topics. Published by academic presses or associations and written by experts in a field (such as university professors or other professionals), they provide detailed information on the most current research and developments in that field.
You will often hear scholarly journals described as being "peer reviewed". This means that when an author submits their article to a journal for publication it is first referred to a committee of experts in that field. (These experts would be the author's professional equals or peers, hence the term.) This committee carefully reads and studies the article, making sure that the research was properly done. If they find possible errors in the article, it may be sent back to the author for further work and revision. Only when the peer-review committee is satisfied that the article meets the journal's standards of scholarship will it be published. If properly done, peer reviewed articles provide you with the most authoritative information available on your research topic.
Listed below are the best starting places for locating articles in the professional and scholarly literature in the field of psychology:
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Systematic downloading of the licensed and copyrighted content of McFarlin Library's electronic resources, such as the use of scripted searches, download accelerators or web robots (i.e., "bots") of any kind, is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. You should download only the content you require for your immediate research needs or course assignment. For more information, please see McFarlin Library's Acceptable Use of Electronic Resources.
Non-psychology databases that may also be useful in researching mental health issues:
IMPORTANT!
The license agreements between McFarlin Library and the private companies that produce our online resources require the library to limit off campus access to current TU students and faculty/staff. This means that when accessing library resources from off campus (including databases, electronic journals and electronic books) you will need to go into the resource either through the library's website, the catalog or one of the LibGuides.
When you click on the link for the resource, you will be prompted to enter your TUNetID and password. This verifies that you are a member of the TU community and therefore allowed to use the resource.
If you have any problems or questions, please feel free to Ask A Librarian.
