Communication Arts: Scholarly criticism & analysis

A research database is a searchable collection of digital materials that have been organized and professionally curated. Libraries purchase subscriptions to databases so you can find research and information on a variety of topics.

Three common types of research databases, are

• bibliographic databases, such as the library catalogue;
• abstract databases (or citation indexes), such as Scopus or Web of Science;
• and full-text databases, like JSTOR

The most common digital items in databases are peer-reviewed journal articles, however databases can also provide access to newspaper articles, trade publications, book reviewed, theses, and more!

Note: Google Scholar is not a database, it is considered a search engine

Scholarly, peer-reviewed articles (sometimes also called "academic articles") have been reviewed by peers or experts in the author’s field of research/study. The process of peer-review is to assess and evaluate the validity and quality of research.

To check if an article is scholarly or peer-reviewed,

• Search the journal title in Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory. If the journal is listed as “referreed” in Ulrich’s it would have this icon: , to indicate a peer-reviewed journal.
• Check the journal's website.
• Look for "peer-reviewed" content type in databases.
• Ask a librarian or your professor.