One of the most asked questions librarians receive is how to find articles, especially scholarly or peer-reviewed. Knowing where to start can be intimidating as the library has access to 400 different databases. To narrow down which one to use you could:
Important note: If you're having difficulty finding an article, try a different database. No library resource searches all of the databases. You may need to search a couple before finding helpful sources.
Global Search is the main library search engine and can be found on the library homepage.
Since Global Search searches both the library catalog and articles, it's important to make sure you select the correct tab on the search results screen. Often, it will default to the library catalog. You will need to click on "Global Search - OA & Databases" to search for articles as shown below.
Off to the left, you can limit your search results in a variety of ways. The three most used are Peer Reviewed, Full Text, and Publication Date. Click on the limiters that you desire and hit "Include". Below you can see that limiters have been selected for peer-reviewed, full text, and publication dates between 2021-2025.
Many of your results will look similar to what is seen below.
Here you can click on "View" or "Publisher Page" to access the article (NOTE: If one doesn't work, try the other), use "Permalink" to copy and paste the search link, document link, publisher website, or DOI link (if available), and a citation generator (just double check it and make sure it is correct).
EBSCO databases are some of the most used library resources. They can be accessed by clicking "EBSCO" below the Global Search bar on the library main page.
When beginning your search, you have many search options you can use.
At the top, you can select which EBSCO databases you want to search from, such as Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text or MEDLINE, besides the default of Academic Search Complete. EBSCO has multiple lines where you can enter search terms, with built-in options for Boolean Operators. You can also limit by Full Text, Peer Reviewed, and Publication Date. If you forget to set these limiters before entering your search terms, you can also add limiters on the search results page, just click on "All filters" at the top and select which ones you need.
EBSCO results look very similar to Global Search's style and have many of the same features. Feel free to do multiple searches to become familiar with all the resources available.
Global Search and EBSCO are only two of the resources available to you. Most other databases work just like these two, with minor differences. Use different resources to find the one that works best for you and if you need help, feel free to chat with us or schedule an appointment with a librarian.