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EN 101-29: College Composition

This guide is designed to help you locate resources for topics discussed in EN 101, College Composition.

HawkFind

  
Scholarly & Peer Reviewed   Beyond Library Collection
  
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Video: Why Not Google?

Multi-Subject Databases

Suggested Databases

Use these databases on literature, technology, sociology and American history to continue research and target more resources specific to topics explored in this course.

News Databases

NOTE: Monmouth University has access to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal via their desktop platforms. You must have MU login credentials to set up your free account. Click "more info" to see details on how to get started with New York Times access.

What is a Scholarly Article?

Scholarly and peer-reviewed articles report on new research. They are published in discipline-specific academic journals in order to make such information available to other scholars and academics. 

  • Scholarly journals are authored by academics, geared to a specific audience and usually published by organizations with an academic focus.
  • Authors are typically experts or scholars in their field. The author's credentials and affiliations are usually listed.
  • The language of scholarly journals is that of the discipline covered. It assumes subject matter knowledge on the part of the reader.
  • Scholarly articles always cite information sources using footnotes, endnotes, and/or bibliographies.
  • Scholarly articles are usually lengthy, and can include charts, graphs, and collected data.
  • A scholarly article may also be peer-reviewed; this type of article must be reviewed and approved for publication by a panel of experts in the field.

Search Tips

  • Use the word "AND" to combine your keywords to make your search more specific, e.g. "substance abuse" AND "domestic violence."
  • Use synonyms and alternative or related terms - broader or narrower - to expand your relevant results, e.g. "teenagers" | "adolescents" | "youth"
  • Use the truncation "*" (star) symbol to search for words with common roots without entering them individually, e.g. searching for teen* retrieves "teen," "teens", "teenaged", "teenagers." Use the "star" symbol (hit "shift" key + 8) to add truncation to your search term.
  • You can limit search results in many databases to academic/peer-reviewed journals, by publication date, or full-text only.

Types of Sources

  • All three types of periodicals may appear online or in print.
  • If you are not sure whether your article is appropriate, ask your instructor.
  •  Start from Advanced Search screen and use database filters to select your source type. 
Popular Trade Scholarly
  • Colorful covers
  • Glossy paper
  • Ads
  • Articles on current events
  • General interest
  • Short articles
  • Written by general staff
  • Reviewed by general editor
  • No bibliographies or footnotes
  • Usually called magazines
  • Glossy
  • Ads
  • Articles on industry trends
  • Short articles
  • Written for members of specific industry
  • Written by staff or experts in the field
  • Short or no bibliographies
  • Plain cover, plain paper
  • No ads
  • Primary research, theories, methodologies
  • Lengthy, in-depth articles
  • Written for researchers & professionals
  • Written by experts in the field & researchers
  • Peer reviewed by subject experts
  • Extensive bibliographies & references

 

Google Scholar Search - Details & VIdeo

Search Google Scholar for scholarly full-text materials available in addition to those you locate in HawkFind. If there is a link to the right of any of your search results, follow the link to view the full article (you may not have access to all the articles in your search results). Check out the Google Search tips video (created by Concordia University) for additional help, and be sure to access Google Scholar from the Monmouth University website in order to view accessible articles.

Google Scholar Search