Finding Scholarly Articles and Research Data in Education Kathleen Carter Arnulfo L. Oliveira Memorial Library The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College Modified by Janice W. Butler, January 2007

What is research-quality information?  Accurate  Appropriate  Credible  Reliable  Relevant

Sources of quality information  Books – explanations, facts  Journals – studies, literature reviews  Magazines – news  Newspapers – news  Trade publications – news and announcements in a field or discipline  Web sites – can provide all of the above …and more!

Scholarly Sources Defined  Written by experts or "scholars" in a particular field of study  Geared towards researchers, and/or other experts in the field  Peer-reviewed or refereed  Evaluated through rigorous process before being accepted for publication  Report the results of original research and offer complex analysis of a topic.

Why are scholarly sources important to research? The intent of a scholarly source is to offer an analysis of a topic or issue based on hard research. Authors of scholarly articles have formed a hypothesis, designed a study, and collected and interpreted data to test the hypothesis. A scholarly article is a method by which researchers can relay results and conclusions to other researchers. Therefore, the presence of point-of-view or bias in the information is significantly reduced.

“…written by experts or "scholars" in a particular field of study.” Authors of scholarly sources usually  focus their research on a narrow topic within a discipline.  have advanced degrees in their field of study.  are affiliated with a college or university.

“…usually peer-reviewed or refereed, and go through a rigorous evaluation process…” A panel of respected experts in the field review articles for weakness in research design and execution, data errors, and potential bias before accepting the article for publication. Journals that require this process may be called… peer-reviewed or refereed journals.

“…report the results of original research and offer complex analysis of a topic.” Articles that report original research  state a hypothesis  outline a plan for testing the hypothesis (methodology)  report and analyze findings of study and state conclusions.

“geared towards researchers, and/or other experts in the field.” Scholarly sources  assume the reader has considerable knowledge of the field.  use technical language and terminology.  build upon or add to existing research in a given field; refer to important studies, researchers, etc.  provide extensive bibliographies of resources for further review by the reader.

A published study is an article published in a scholarly journal that reports research findings. Published studies are primary sources. What is a study?

Original research articles typically include:  Abstract  Literature Review  Methodology/Procedures  Conclusion/Findings  List of References

Not everything in scholarly journals is "research " Scholarly journals can include:  Literature reviews  Research/Studies  Case Studies  Book reviews  Editorials

Peer Reviewed Journals Peer reviewed journals contain articles that are reviewed and approved by a panel of experts in a field before they are published. A few examples:  Journal of Technology Education  Journal of Technology and Teacher Education  Journal of Computing in Teacher Education  Journal of Research on Technology in Teacher Education  USDLA Journal

Finding Journal Articles  Search online technology databases available via the Library Web site.  Browse for papers in online technology journals.  Use a search engine (Yahoo, Google) to find free journals on the Web.

What is a database?  Collection of records that can be searched and retrieved online.  Used to search for journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.  Provide citations, abstracts and sometimes full text journal articles.  Search for articles by subject, keyword, title and more!

Databases to Know About Multi-disciplinary Periodical Databases Academic Search Premier Expanded Academic ASAP Proquest Research Library WilsonWeb OmniFile Full Text Education Periodical Databases Education Collection: Sage Full Text ERIC Professional Development Collection Possible Related Databases Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection PsycARTICLES PsycINFO

Using the E-journal Portal 1. Go to: 2. Click on Online Journals link 3. Enter your title in the search box. 4. Follow the link to the appropriate database to access the journal you need. Take note of the dates of availability. Journals can be browsed by title or subject.

Begin your search at the UTB online library. If you are off campus, you will need to login using your student ID and your pin number.

 Username: Your username is your first initial, last initial and your 7- digit UTB/TSC ID number. For example, if your name is John Doe,and your ID number is , your username would be JD  Password: Your password is your 4-digit PIN.  If you do not know your PIN, click here.click here  Note: This username and password is also used to login to MyUTBTSC (Blackboard) and the Gemini server.

Getting Help  Visit – The Reference Desk, Library 1 st floor  Call – (956)  –  Chat – Ask a UT System Librarian