This document provides guidance on finding and using peer-reviewed scholarly sources for a biology symposium. It defines peer-reviewed sources as articles written and evaluated by experts in a field. It recommends searching specialized library databases and using advanced search filters to find peer-reviewed articles. The document provides tips for effective keyword searching and sample searches on the topic of diet versus exercise. Finally, it offers advice on reading scholarly articles, including reading background information first and focusing on key sections like the abstract and discussion.

1. Searching for Scholarly Sources
Biology Symposium

2. Do Now!
• Go to m.socrative.com
• Join Room Number 795231
• Answer the question: What do you know about
peer-reviewed sources?
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Who writes them? Who reads them?
How are articles accepted for publication?
What common features are you likely to see?
What else are peer-reviewed articles called?
How can you tell if your source is a peer-reviewed
article?

3. Agenda
• Defining peer-reviewed sources (review!)
• Searching for peer-reviewed sources
– Recommended databases
– Keyword searching
– Interlibrary loan
• Reading peer-reviewed sources

5. Defining Scholarly Articles
• Written by experts for experts, evaluated by
other experts who specialize in the same
scholarly area (“peers”) for validity and quality

6. Identifying Scholarly Articles
• Is the publication scholarly
or peer-reviewed?
• Is there an abstract
(summary) at the beginning
of the article?
• Is the tone of the article
thoughtful, restrained and
serious?
• Does the article have
footnotes or citations of
other sources?
• Does the article have a
bibliography or list of
references at the end?
• Are the author's credentials
listed?
• Is the topic of the article
narrowly focused and
explored in depth?
• Is the article based on
either original research or
authorities in the field (as
opposed to personal
opinion)?
• Is the article written for
readers with some prior
knowledge of the subject?
Source: Lloyd Sealy Library, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

7. Types of Scientific Articles
• What does it mean when a study is a
– Literature review
– Systematic review
– Meta-analysis
• Does the scientific method still apply?
• What are the strengths or weaknesses of
these articles for YOUR research?

8. Finding Scholarly Articles
• Search online library databases that specialize
in peer-reviewed sources
– Use advanced search options to filter for peerreviewed and full-text results
• Chaining from other articles, popular or
scholarly
• Interlibrary loan requests, after you have
searched available databases

9. Keyword Searching
• Conduct background research to identify
specialized terminology for your topic
– Subject headings may differ by database
• Put key phrases in quotation marks
• Try out combinations of keywords to get all
the main ideas (and be creative!)
• Use advanced search features (e.g., title
search)

10. Sample Search: Diet or Exercise?
• Started with popular sources:
– http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/is-30-minutesof-daily-exercise-a-sweet-spot-for-weight-loss/
– http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/dieting-vsexercise-for-weight-loss/
• Chained from there to peer-reviewed sources:
– http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1014296?
query=TOC&#t=abstract
– http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22681398
– http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22855277
• Then tried a few database searches and submitted an
interlibrary loan request for one I really wanted

14. Reading Scholarly Articles
• Read background information first
– Scholarly articles are written for people with prior
knowledge, so go get some!
• Focus on key sections
– Abstract, introduction and discussion, figures
• Make sure you’re ready to commit
• Read hard articles in hard copy
• Ask for help when you need it